FOIA Request: Records of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights’ (OCR) Internal Decisions and External Communications regarding Racial Discrimination at the Oak Park and River Forest School District 200
| Agency | Department of Education |
|---|---|
| Type | FOIA Request |
| Issue | Civil RightsDiversity, Equity, and Inclusion |
| Tracking | DFI FOIA No. 100-37-22 |
| Date | Dec 15, 2022 |
Beginning in 2019, the Oak Park and River Forest School District (District) announced and began implementing explicitly race-based policies in pursuit of a wide-ranging "racial equity" program to "remove unconscious biases and system-wide barriers." It created a "Racial Equity Analysis Tool" (REAT) to filter all decisions and policies and announced race-based grading, racial hiring quotas, and decided that capital expenditures (resource allocation), curriculum planning, and professional development would be modified pursuant to the new racial equity program. It announced a "Motivational Mentorship Program" dedicated exclusively to the "success and security of students of color." On June 1, 2022, DFI filed a civil rights complaint with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), urging that OCR investigate the District's racial equity program for violations of Title VI and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Despite two additional supplemental filings providing more than sufficient detail for OCR to initiate an investigation, on November 22, 2022, OCR notified DFI that it was dismissing the Complaint. In its Dismissal, OCR cited resolution of the allegation of the mentorship program's exclusion of students based on race, noting that the District had just announced that the mentorship program was "open to ALL students regardless of race . . ." DFI's FOIA request is for records of the Department's internal decisions and external communications with the District concerning DFI's Complaint, subsequent filings, and OCR's Dismissal.
Request