Red state school district slapped with complaint to Trump admin alleging unlawful DEI practices

FIRST ON FOX: A pro-Trump ineligible nonprofit is asking for the U.S. Department of Education to analyse an Ohio schoolhouse territory that the radical says is pushing an "unlawful" DEI docket and violating national anti-discrimination law. 

The ailment from America First Legal alleges that the Upper Arlington School District successful Columbus, Ohio has implemented DEI policies dating backmost to 2020 and cites worldly from the district’s ain website. 

"In June 2020, during the tallness of the Black Lives Matter riots, the Upper Arlington School Board, similar galore different acquisition institutions and corporations successful our country, caved to Black Lives Matter demands and began to instrumentality racist and discriminatory DEI policies successful the District," the ailment alleges. 

"The District added a Chief Talent Officer ("CTO") to "foster workforce diversity. Upper Arlington besides added an Equity Advisory Board, which aims to ‘provide invaluable penetration and feedback connected the recruitment of a divers staff.’ The School District besides created a caller position, the Chief Excellence and Engagement Officer, who was tasked with ‘spearhead[ing] Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts.’"

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The Upper Arlington School District is facing a ineligible ailment implicit its DEI policies (Getty)

The ailment alleges that DEI advocacy continued successful the years aft 2020 and quoted a territory study that said "[t]here is simply a request for a wide imaginativeness for DEI initiatives [and] advocacy for LGBTQIA+ students" portion referring "those who oppos[e] DEI efforts" arsenic "negative voices."

A "Comprehensive Equity Report" from the territory "contains "discriminatory and amerciable recommendations", according to the complaint. 

The ailment makes the lawsuit that the DEI practices wrong the territory are not successful enactment with existent Education Department rules and guidelines and suggests that national backing to the schoolhouse could beryllium successful jeopardy.

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"When our nation’s schools discriminate based connected contention and sex, and embed divisive radical and intersexual ideologies into their curriculum, it not lone violates the law, but it besides warps our children’s education," Jacob Meckler, America First Legal Counsel, told Fox News Digital successful a statement. "The Department of Education should analyse the Upper Arlington School District and, if appropriate, terminate national payer funding."

Fox News Digital reached retired to the schoolhouse territory and Department of Education for comment. 

Upper Arlington School District has been successful blistery h2o implicit DEI practices successful the past when  video surfaced successful 2023 showing territory officials discussing however they tin propulsion captious contention mentation covertly, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

"There's much than 1 mode to tegument a cat," Matthew Boaz, the enforcement manager of diversity, equity and inclusion of Upper Arlington Schools, said. "You tin walk a measure that you can't thatch CRT successful a classroom, but if you didn't screen programming, oregon you didn't screen extracurricular activities oregon thing similar that, that connection mightiness inactive get out. Oops."

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The Upper Arlington School District successful Ohio is facing disapproval implicit its DEI policies (Getty Images/iStock)

In a connection to Fox News Digital Superintendent Hunt said, "On April 30, Upper Arlington Schools received a transcript of a missive sent to the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights by an lawyer penning connected behalf of the advocacy radical America First Legal.  The missive accuses the territory of ‘illegal DEI policies,’ but fails to place immoderate circumstantial practices oregon policies that are really successful spot successful the district."

"We instrumentality immoderate concerns of favoritism earnestly and we volition continue, arsenic always, successful our committedness to our ngo of challenging and supporting each student, each measurement of the way, to our imaginativeness that each pupil is prepared to serve, lead, and succeed, and to our values - commencement with heart, spot successful team, and contagious drive.  Our caller Excellence & Innovation 2030 Strategic Plan is rooted successful these commitments, and we volition stay focused connected providing our students with the precocious prime acquisition acquisition that our assemblage expects."

Hunt added that "we volition surely cooperate fully" if an probe is opened.

A Dept. of Education spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the section "doesn't corroborate complaints."

Earlier this year, the Department of Education issued a letter informing nationalist schools crossed the state that they indispensable region diversity, equity and inclusion policies oregon hazard losing national funding. 

"Institutions that neglect to comply with national civilian rights instrumentality may, accordant with applicable law, look imaginable nonaccomplishment of national funding," Craig Trainor, acting adjunct caput for civilian rights successful the Department of Education, said successful the letter.

The missive said the "overt and covert radical favoritism that has go wide successful this Nation's acquisition institutions" volition nary longer beryllium tolerated.

Fox News Digital's Landon Mion contributed to this report