Federal investigation of public schools in Louisiana鈥檚 Jefferson Parish launched in response to 澳彩开奖 civil rights complaint
The U.S. Departments of Justice and Education have responded to a civil rights complaint by the 澳彩开奖 by announcing they will investigate Louisiana鈥檚 Jefferson Parish Public School System for discriminating against Latino students.
听The U.S. Departments of Justice and Education have responded to a civil rights complaint by the 澳彩开奖 by announcing they will investigate Louisiana鈥檚 Jefferson Parish Public School System for discriminating against Latino students.
The 澳彩开奖 complaint 鈥渞aises concerns about the District鈥檚 compliance with its Federal obligations to ensure that its policies and practices do not discriminate against students on the basis of race, color or national origin,鈥� says a .
The investigation will be led by the Department of Justice鈥檚 Civil Rights Division and the Department of Education鈥檚 Office for Civil Rights 鈥� the primary federal agencies charged with ensuring equal protection under the law for people within the United States.
鈥淭he Jefferson Parish School System must recognize that Latino students and their parents have the same rights as their English-speaking counterparts,鈥� said Jennifer Coco, staff attorney in the 澳彩开奖鈥檚 Louisiana office.
The 澳彩开奖 complaint, filed in August on behalf of 16 Latino students and their families, outlines how the district has created a hostile environment by allowing employees to harass Latino students about their citizenship status.
Various laws, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibit federally funded school districts from using a student鈥檚 citizenship or immigration status as a condition of enrollment or graduation from a public school.
Latino students comprise 17 percent of the district鈥檚 student population.
The 澳彩开奖 complaint describes how L.M., a recent graduate of West Jefferson High School, was harassed for proof of her Social Security number by school staffers before her May 2012 graduation. She was informed that she would not be able to graduate without it.
Other West Jefferson seniors were subjected to a similar line of questioning.
鈥淭his investigation is desperately needed to change the discriminatory environment endured by many students in Jefferson Parish,鈥� said Caren Short, an 澳彩开奖 staff attorney. 鈥淭hese students deserve an equal opportunity to succeed in the classroom.鈥�
