SOUTHLAKE (WBAP/KLIF News ) – Controversy continues at the Carroll Independent School District, now that the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights found the district violated students’ civil rights.
The three-year investigation was sparked by complaints by four students and parents of discrimination due to race, gender and sexual orientation.
ACLU attorney Chloe Kempf said the feds will negotiate with district officials on ways to correct the violations.
“If they don’t the federal funding that the school district receives can actually be revoked,” she said.
District officials have 90 days to develop a resolution.
The district’s issues gained national attention in 2018, when a video showing white students chanting the N-word went viral. Some students reported homophobic slurs.
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund, which represents several families who filed complaints against the district, said in a statement, they submitted an open letter to the district urging them to remedy serious civil rights violations.
CREED (Cultural and Racial Equity For Every Student) is a group of parents of black Southlake students who said “they’re concerned about the alleged emotional and mental harms inflicted on students by CISD’s hostile environment.”
They joined forces with SARC (Southlake Anti-Racism Coalition) to attempt to change the district’s atmosphere and wrote an open letter to district officials. Both groups said they’re hopeful about the latest development.
“CREED is gratified that OCR, after a multi-year investigation, found that CISD violated the civil rights of its students and invited CISD to negotiate a resolution. We urge CISD to negotiate in good faith and implement the significant policy changes needed to ensure all students are welcomed and supported at school,” said Pamela Francis, a member of CREED.
“After three long years, we are pleased to see that OCR has recognized the longstanding civil rights violations in Carroll ISD schools. Black, brown, and LGBTQIA+ students deserve schools that not only prevent and respond to harassment, but that create a safe and supportive environment for all students. As the 90-day resolution negotiation period begins, we are hopeful that CISD and OCR will work to adopt the policy changes that CREED, SARC, and Southlake families have demanded for years,” said LDF Assistant Counsel Katrina Feldkamp.
WBAP News sent an interview request to Carroll ISD Superintendent Lane Ledbetter and Assistant Superintendent of Administration Tamy Smalskas and are awaiting a response.
Copyright 2023. WBAP/KLIF News. All Rights Reserved.
