NAACP files discrimination complaint against Carroll ISD
SOUTHLAKE, Texas - The wealthy and mostly white Carroll Independent School District in Southlake is facing a new complaint over the way students of color and LGBTQ students are treated.
The NAACP filed the complaint with the United States Department of Education.
It alleges racial and gender discrimination and cites what it calls a hostile environment in the schools.
"For years, CISD officials have known that the hostile environment in the Carroll Independent School District prevents students of color and LGBTQ+ students from fully participating in educational programs and school activities," said Cara McClellan, an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. "Despite this knowledge, students who tried to alert District officials were not supported but instead were subject to yet more slurs, threats, and demeaning treatment."
The complaint talks about four separate students who were bullied because of the color of their skin or their sexual orientation.
All were called derogatory names on multiple occasions and were either ignored or suffered retaliation after reporting those incidents. Two of the students were physically assaulted and ultimately withdrew from the district because of the abuse.
"We current and former students of CISD schools are tired of having our lived experiences ignored, demeaned, and invalidated," the Southlake Anti-Racism Coalition said in a statement.
This is the fourth discrimination complaint filed against the district that has been in turmoil over whether to address racism.
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