Carroll ISD: Department of Education withholding findings of civil rights investigation
SOUTHLAKE, Texas - Carroll ISD officials claim the federal government is withholding facts about its investigation of civil rights complaints in the district.
The Southlake district says it's no longer negotiating with the federal government to reach a conclusion on the complaints.
The U.S. Department of Education investigated Carroll ISD on four complaints of racist, homophobic and other types of harassment.
In May, the Office of Civil Rights notified the board about a resolution agreement and gave the board 90 days to respond.
In a specially-called meeting on Monday, Carroll ISD Board President Cameron Bryan declared an impasse.
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"The OCR did not provide the district their findings and conclusions with supporting evidence to those conclusions," he said.
In cases where federal officials believe a school or district violated civil rights, the idea is for both sides to work toward an agreement with new rules or policies to implement. The government would then monitor the district's enforcement.
In this case, Bryan says an internal investigation determined all school employees involved in each instance complied with the law. He also said the board needs more from federal investigators to negotiate a resolution.
"OCR has refused to provide us those in every instance," Bryan said.
The board also released a six-page statement blaming the media and members of the community for what they call an "all-out assault" on teachers, counselors, principals and administrators.
In May, the two groups of parents and students who initiated the investigation called for the district to pursue good faith negotiations, claiming years of campus hostility toward students of color and the LGBTQ community.
The board's memo says its investigation found "no hostile educational environment" and described the specific allegations as baseless.
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"The district will await the OCR's letter of pending enforcement action so that it has the information needed to move forward with fair and transparent negotiations," Bryan said.
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This could impact school funding.
It’s unknown if the U.S. Department of Education will send the information the board is requesting.
The OCR could also refer the case to the Department of Justice.