SOUTHLAKE, Texas — Southlake parents urged Carroll ISD board members to begin negotiations with the Dept. of Education following a years-long investigation that found the district violated students’ civil rights.
Parents urged action from the board during Tuesday night’s board meeting.
It was the school board’s first public meeting since the Dept. of Education’s Office for Civil Rights upheld four student discrimination complaints last week.
“Now is the time it is the opportunity to make the last three years a teaching moment,” one parent said.
Another parent, Cultural and Racial Equity for Every Dragon (CREED) member and former Carroll ISD parent Angela Jones read a letter from her son, who said he experienced being called the n-word repeatedly while he attended the district.
“This is about civil rights,” Jones said. CISD violated my son’s civil rights. We can’t scream anymore about how Carroll ISD is hurting our children. You already know that.”
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights (OCR) invited the district to negotiate a resolution after it upheld four complaints filed by ex-students who said they faced discrimination based on race, gender, and sexual orientation.
Families accused the district of throwing out a ‘cultural competence plan’ and rolling back other protections.
Pam Francis, a member of CREED, criticized district leadership for not responding to the DOE’s announcement or initiating negotiations with the federal government.
“It’s not often you receive a 2nd chance,” Francis said. “We urge you to accept that invitation.”
Following public comment, school board president Cameron Bryan read a statement on behalf of the board, saying the DOE’s investigation “does not contain any findings of fact” and “OCR did not provide the district their findings and conclusions. Before we consider OCR’s recommended actions, we should be privy to what was concluded and why. We have asked OCR for their findings, they responded they would not provide their findings in writing but would entertain a conference call to answer any questions that they may have. We plan on taking them up on their offer of a conference call in the near future.”
Bryan stated the incidents involved in the investigation predate the current Superintendent Dr. Lane Ledbetter.
“Since the time of the OCR complaints, the district has taken actions including a rewrite of our student code of conduct,” Bryan said.
Bryan said the OCR's proposed resolution of the four complaints "did not contain any findings of fact."
Parents strongly disagreed with Bryan’s statement.
Balu Kadiyala said the code of conduct was further rolled back protections for students.
The district amended and removed some protections for some students last July.
“Rather than acknowledge we have a problem, it’s denial,” Kadiyala said. “Unfortunately, the kids will bear the brunt, and the families are fighting it alone.
Another parent, Elisha Rurka, left the meeting disappointed.
“It’s just truly insulting,” Rurka said. “It’s just dismissive of community members.”
The district has 90 days to reach a deal with the agency. If it doesn't, the Department of Justice could bring the issue to court for enforcement.