The U.S. Department of Education is investigating Cherry Creek Schools for what it calls “a wide range of racially discriminatory programming,” marking the third federal civil-rights probe of a Colorado K-12 system since President Donald Trump returned to office last year.
The agency’s Office of Civil Rights on Monday accused the district of having clubs that “exclude students based on race” and of using students’ race to determine class assignments and academic support, according to a news release announcing the investigation.
The Office of Civil Rights did not identify the clubs in question or provide further details about those allegations.
“We strongly disagree with the characterization of district programming,” Cherry Creek Schools spokeswoman Ashey Verville said in a statement. “The district has not yet received a copy of the complaint. Without the complaint, we are not in a position to respond further.”
The Education Department said it is also investigating a parent committee — called the Voices of Color Committee — that the Office of Civil Rights said grants access based solely on race, “denying other parents an equal opportunity to participate in the decisions that directly impact their children’s education.”
The Voices of Color Committee is made up of parents, teachers and administrators and has a goal of creating “an inclusive and safe environment” for students of color, according to the district’s website.
The Education Department said it has received complaints that the district trains teachers that the U.S. “was founded on ‘white supremacy’ and categorizes individuals as ‘oppressors’ and ‘oppressed’ based only on their skin color,” according to the news release.
The agency accuses Cherry Creek Schools of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The Denver Post asked the Education Department for more information about its allegations against Cherry Creek Schools, but an unidentified spokesperson said via email that the agency would not comment on an open investigation.
“These allegations of racially discriminatory conduct in this District seem to permeate almost every aspect of the school community, affecting students, teachers, and parents alike,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said in a statement. “Federal law prohibits racial discrimination, which means that race cannot be a factor in how the school educates its students or trains its teachers.
The Trump administration has repeatedly threatened to pull federal funding from K-12 districts nationwide that implement policies the federal government has called discriminatory, such as those that aim to recruit more Black teachers, place more students of color in advanced classes or otherwise relate to diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
The Trump administration previously launched separate investigations into Denver Public Schools and Jeffco Public Schools, accusing those districts of discriminating against girls with policies that support transgender students.
Both DPS and Jeffco Public Schools — the state’s two largest districts — defied the Education Department, refusing to alter their policies despite pressure from the federal government.
DPS hasn’t heard from the Education Department in months. But last week, the department threatened for a second time to pull Jeffco Public Schools’ funding for allowing transgender students to play sports and use girls bathrooms.
At the college level, the Trump administration launched an investigation last year into the University of Colorado’s Colorado Springs campus, accusing the school of discriminating against students because it “supported” a conference held by a nonprofit that aims to help students from underrepresented groups earn business degrees.
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