(FreedomBeacon.com)- According to a story in the Washington Examiner, allegations have been made that the Santa Cruz County Office of Education and the Pajaro Valley Unified School District were responsible for hosting a racially segregated teaching program.
Parents Defending Education argues in a complaint submitted to the Department of Education on Tuesday that the entities violated civil rights law when they worked to establish the “Ethnic Studies Teacher of Color Circle” in September. The complaint was filed on behalf of Parents Defending Education.
The Circle’s purpose was “to encourage the development, retention, and leadership of teachers of color across the nation” in the event flier. Teachers were also told that their attendance would be compensated with a stipend.
The complaint said that “segregation based on race raises suspicions that Santa Cruz County Office of Education and Pajaro Valley School District has received federal funding in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.” The Department of Education is likely aware of this fact.
The development of the assistance program took place in collaboration with Community Responsive Education, an organization whose mission is “to promote the growth, retention, and leadership of teachers of color across the nation.”
The first meeting of the “Ethnic Studies Teacher of Color Circle” took place in September in collaboration with Community Responsive Education, a curriculum development and education consultancy organization that assists organizations in “beginning or sustaining the journey of becoming community responsive.”
According to Caroline Moore, vice president of Parents Defending Education, the PVUSD initiative acted as a means for the education office of Santa Cruz County to punish teachers for issues beyond their control.
Moore stated that “through its use of affinity groups, Santa Cruz is creating an environment in which educators are ostracized for not identifying as teachers of color and are penalized for something they cannot change.”
She said, “teachers who do not identify as a different ethnicity are held back from opportunities that would give them face time with administrators.” These relationships are essential to assisting educators in obtaining better jobs within the district.
