NAACP Legal Defense Fund files federal civil rights complaint against Carroll schools
The Carroll school district is facing another civil rights complaint alleging that LGBTQ+ and students of color continue to be subjected to racism and harassment.
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund filed the administrative complaint Tuesday with the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights.
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund said in a statement posted on Twitter that the Carroll school district “fails” to ensure that students do not face a hostile environment because of their sex, race or gender identity.
Karen Fitzgerald, a spokeswoman for the school district said in an email, “We have not received any document at this time.”
In November, the Carroll school district was notified that the department of education was conducting three separate investigations into discrimination complaints of racism and sexual orientation.
At the time, Fitzgerald told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that “Our district is fully cooperating with this process and diligently pulling all documents requested. These OCRs are student situations; therefore, due to the Federal Act to Education Privacy Act (FERPA), we are unable to provide or share any more specifics at this time.”
Tuesday’s complaint was filed on behalf of the organizations Cultural & Racial Equity for Every Dragon (CREED) and the Southlake Anti-Racism Coalition (SARC), as well as individual students and their parents.
CREED is a group of Black Southlake parents who are concerned about the emotional harm inflicted on students by the school district’s hostile environment. The Southlake Anti-Racism Coalition is a group of current and former students who have experienced the harmful effects of the district’s hostile environment, according to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund statement.
The complaint seeks relief under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 for the pervasive hostile environment in CISD schools, according to the news release.
“For years, CISD officials have known that the hostile environment in the Carroll Independent School District prevents students of color and LGBTQ+ students from fully participating in educational programs and school activities,” said Legal Defense Fund Assistant Counsel Cara McClellan. “Despite this knowledge, students who tried to alert district officials were not supported but instead were subject to yet more slurs, threats, and demeaning treatment.”
Russell Maryland, a member of CREED, said that he was appalled by the “dismissive attitude of district officials when they were alerted to the ongoing discrimination that the students were dealing with.”
“My profound hope is that this complaint will finally wake CISD up to the reality that ensuring a safe learning environment is not only their moral responsibility but also their legal obligation.”
This story was originally published February 15, 2022 at 7:16 PM.