The mother of a student involved in claims of civil rights violations in Carroll ISD says the district’s decision to end negotiations with federal investigators is disappointing.
Carroll leaders last week declared an impasse in negotiations with officials from the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, saying in a letter to OCR attorneys that the district hasn’t received necessary information to negotiate a resolution.
“It's hurtful to me,” parent Angela Jones told KERA. “It's basically disgusting what they're doing. They're telling us that really, they're more interested in politics than keeping children safe in school.”
Jones, who’s Black, said her son was called racial slurs repeatedly by several students and that teachers and school leaders did little or nothing to punish the alleged perpetrators. She said the years-long OCR investigation into allegations of discrimination validated the claims of her son and others.
Jones said Carroll ISD leaders weren’t taking responsibility to help keep kids safe.
“I honestly believe it's going to get worse in the schools,” Jones said. “And nothing's going to happen if the district doesn't stand up for these kids. The district's supposed to lead.”
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, Superintendent Lane Ledbetter said on social media that if the OCR found the district could take steps it hadn’t implemented, it would “absolutely comply.”
Attorney Raqiyyah Pippins, who represents Jones and some other families, told KERA the group “expect[s] them to live up to that.”
Carroll ISD said in a letter to families last week that 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.
Trustees also suggested Supreme Court standards have changed, based on recent rulings, regarding OCR’s ability to enforce any actions.
Pippins said the statement is disingenuous.
“It is it is very interesting to us at the tactics being used to avoid acknowledging whatever findings, or allowing there to be a place of either resolution or formally sharing what is known about the incidents and complaints in this case,” she said. “Because almost all school districts negotiate and come to resolution when OCR finds an actual violation. The goal is one that all should be able to agree with, and that is to ensure a safe learning environment for all students.”
Shesaid the district’s impasse declaration was “incredibly rare.”
Carroll ISD did not respond to a request for comment.
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” that 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.
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