District leaders in Carroll ISD have declared an impasse with federal investigators looking into allegations of civil rights violations in the district.
On Monday, the district publicly released a letter from school board president Cam Bryan and outgoing Superintendent Lane Ledbetter to attorneys with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) claiming the district hasn’t been provided the necessary information to negotiate a resolution.
“Declaring an impasse seems entirely counterintuitive and counterproductive to the resolution process,” the letter reads. “Nevertheless, Carroll ISD has no other choice given the factors above.”
Trustees also suggested Supreme Court standards have changed, based on recent rulings, regarding OCR’s ability to enforce any actions.
For years, the OCR has been investigating allegations against Carroll ISD of civil rights violations based on race, religion and sexual orientation. Parents said their students were bullied and called names, including racial slurs, while teachers and other CISD officials did little or nothing to punish alleged violators.
In May, the victims’ parents urged the district to negotiate in good faith to resolve the complaints, which date back to 2021. At the time the complaints came to light, Ledbetter said on social media that if the OCR found the district could take steps it hadn’t implemented, it would “absolutely comply.”
In a statement Monday, the district said after an “exhaustive review” and "extensive legal analyses" of the cases, "we have concluded that our teachers, counselors, principals, and administrators fully complied with the law in each case and protected our students.
"Accordingly, we will not scapegoat our good people in acquiescence to a political agenda.”
The district said OCR presented it with a proposed Resolution Agreement “in an attempt to resolve the cases,” but not with written findings of its investigation.
“We have serious concerns about entering into a multi-year agreement with the federal government without first understanding the rationale for its requirements — especially when we do not believe we did anything wrong!” the statement reads.
A DOE spokesperson told KERA in an emailed statement that the OCR had several investigations ongoing in Carroll ISD.
"Consistent with the procedures in our Case Processing Manual, and prior to the completion of the investigations, OCR contacted the school district to see if it wished to voluntarily resolve the allegations,” the spokesperson said. "If those negotiations are not successful, OCR will move forward with the investigation consistent with its Case Processing Manual and applicable law.”
That means if no resolution is reached, DOE could “impose enforcement action” which could cost the district federal funding because of civil rights violations.
DOE said its investigation will continue.
Bill Zeeble is KERA’s education reporter. Got a tip? Email Bill at bzeeble@kera.org. You can follow him on X @bzeeble.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.
