(The Lion) — Is the Portland, Oregon, school district discriminating against other races through its Center for Black Student Excellence and improperly using bond money to fund it?
That’s what Parents Defending Education (PDE) is alleging.
The advocacy group filed a discrimination complaint this week against the city’s public school system, alleging violation of both the federal Civil Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause. It is asking the federal Department of Education to investigate.
“Portland Public Schools’ own data shows that the district is failing students of all ethnicities – so it’s morally questionable (and legally indefensible) to only assist a select few on the basis of race,” PDE founder and President Nicole Neily told Fox News Digital.
The complaint also points out that state law requires bond money be spent on capital improvements such as buildings and acquiring assets, not funding programs. Portland voters approved a $1.2 billion construction bond in November 2020, which also birthed the center for black students.
Then there are issues with how the center functions, and its exclusion of non-blacks.
In 2022, the school board approved a collaboration with the center for black-exclusive programming at Portland Public Schools, including mentorships, “wraparound support and healing services” such as food and family mental health services and tours of historically black colleges and universities (HBCU).
The center aims to improve outcomes for black students, but students of many backgrounds are struggling in Portland schools, the complaint says.
While black students are struggling to read, Pacific Islander students are scoring worse, and Native American students are scoring almost the same as blacks.
“The district’s decision to allocate resources to black students, and not students of other racial backgrounds, has created tension in the community,” the complaint reads. “On January 7, 2025, a school board meeting ‘was upended by a passionate debate over whether to include an additional $40 million for a Native Student Success Center, an idea the board ultimately rejected.’”
The district also is facing a current budget shortfall of $40 million, which is another reason not to spend money on the center, PDE’s Neily says. “Portland families, students and taxpayers deserve better,” she told Fox.
The group filed a similar complaint against the Los Angeles Unified School District’s “Black Student Achievement Plan,” which prompted the district to drop race as an official factor in deciding which students get extra educational services, PDE says.
The group is asking the DOE to “act swiftly to remedy unlawful policies and practices, and order appropriate relief.”
The filing comes after President Trump issued an executive order banning DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) from the federal government and threatening to withhold federal funds from states and schools that practice it.
