U.S. Department of Education investigating Evanston-Skokie school district for racial discrimination

The U.S. Department of Education has launched an investigation of Evanston-Skokie District 65, accusing the school district of segregating students based on race.

The federal inquiry follows a complaint filed by the Roswell, Georgia-based Southeastern Legal Foundation on behalf of one of the district’s drama teachers, Stacy Deemar.

According to the complaint, the district engages in racial segregation and reinforces stereotypes through policies and practices.

The complaint alleges the school district directs students and staff to participate in “privilege walks,” pressures educators to “acknowledge white skin privilege” and encourages students to be “activist[s] and … actively anti-racist.”

In 2019, Deemar filed a complaint against the district, in which the U.S. Department of Education determined the district was in violation of Title VI, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in any program or activity receiving federal funding.

However, the Biden administration dismissed the case in 2024, the federal agency said.

Southeastern Legal Foundation and District 65 could not be reached for comment.

The development comes just days after a similar investigation was launched against Chicago Public Schools.

That investigation focuses on Chicago’s newly launched “Black Student Success Plan,” which is alleged to violate federal anti-discrimination laws by focusing on one group of students.

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