Dept. of Education Investigates WI School District Accused of Discriminating Against Dyslexic Student on Basis of Race
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) on Wednesday opened an investigation into a Wisconsin school district over a complaint alleging that it discriminated against an elementary school student with dyslexia on the basis of race.
The Title VI and disability-discrimination investigation is based on a complaint filed by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) alleging that the Green Bay Area Public School District prioritizes special education services to students based on racial “priority groups,” and that “the student did not fall into that category because he is white.” The complaint further alleges that the school district “failed to provide timely and adequate special education services” on the basis of race.
Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said:
In America, we do not ‘prioritize’ students for educational access, nor do we judge their worth, on the basis of skin color. Schools must provide special needs students access to supportive educational resources on an equal footing and on the basis of need, not on the basis of race. The Trump-McMahon Education Department rejects the false and patronizing idea that certain forms of discrimination are ‘benign.’ We will vigorously investigate this matter to ensure that the Green Bay Area Public School District is not discriminating against its students on the basis of race and disability.
According to the department, the district allegedly states that it will conduct “intentional work educating our focus students, prioritizing additional resources to First Nations, Black, and Hispanic students.”
WILL’s complaint alleges that when the mother of the student repeatedly petitioned the school for several months to help him with his dyslexia, the school principal told her he felt obligated to “serve priority racial groups that have been traditionally underperforming and that the district keeps a spreadsheet that is color-coded by race to ensure that racial priority groups are receiving services first,” according to the department.
Cory Brewer, Education Counsel at Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, said:
We are grateful to Secretary McMahon and the Office for Civil Rights for opening this investigation into Green Bay Area Public School District. It is heartbreaking to think that, in America, a school would consider whether or not to provide services to a disabled student based not on that student’s need, but on the color of his skin. This is not only unlawful – it is an affront to the character of the American people.
“We are proud to work alongside the Department of Education to hold schools accountable for their antidiscrimination obligations and to ensure that no student is denied their equal opportunity protections under the law,” Brewer added.
According to WSAW-TV, the school district said in December 2024 it was investigating the allegations. The outlet reached out to the school district for comment, and the district said it has no comment at this time.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
