{"id":2396960,"date":"2025-01-30T10:57:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T15:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-civil-rights-complaint-filed-over-dc-public-schools-race-based-empowerment-club\/"},"modified":"2025-01-30T10:59:38","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T15:59:38","slug":"federal-civil-rights-complaint-filed-over-dc-public-schools-race-based-empowerment-club","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-civil-rights-complaint-filed-over-dc-public-schools-race-based-empowerment-club\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal Civil Rights Complaint Filed Over DC Public Schools&#8217; Race-Based &#8216;Empowerment&#8217; Club"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffederal-civil-rights-complaint-filed-over-dc-public-schools-race-based-empowerment-club%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2396960&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">federal civil rights complaint<\/a> has been filed\u2062 against teh District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) by \u200da parental rights association called Parents Defending Education. the complaint centers on an &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/yale-law-students-said-a-top-journal-was-racist-admissions-data-suggest-otherwise\/\" title=\"Yale Law Students Said a Top Journal Was Racist. Admissions Data Suggest Otherwise.\">affinity group<\/a>&#8221; programme known as the &#8220;empowerment Club,&#8221; wich reportedly discriminates based on race, as it is specifically \u2062available to \u200dcertain groups of students such as Black girls and nonbinary students. \u2063The Parents Defending Education organization claims this violates the Equal protection Clause of the Fourteenth \u2064Amendment, highlighting that such programs create a division among students by race at a young age. In their request for examination, they emphasize\u200b the need for public schools to foster inclusivity and support all\u200d students, rather than perpetuating segregation based on immutable traits like skin color. the complaint reflects a\u200d broader concern about similar \u200baffinity groups being implemented in schools across the country.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>District of Columbia Public Schools discriminate among students based on race with an &ldquo;affinity group&rdquo; program, according to a federal civil rights complaint filed earlier this month by parental rights group Parents Defending Education.<\/p>\n<p>The organization submitted the complaint on Jan. 9 with the U.S. Department of Education&rsquo;s Office for Civil Rights, requesting an investigation into a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pay-killers-to-bring-down-homicide-rate-baltimore-activist-says\/\" title=\"Pay Killers To Bring Down Homicide Rate, Baltimore Activist Says\">program called<\/a> the &ldquo;Empowerment Club.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/defendinged.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/OCR-District-of-Columbia-Public-Schools_Redacted.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">complaint<\/a> accused District of Columbia <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/dc-public-schools-urge-parents-decolonize-thanksgiving\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Public Schools<\/a> of violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment by only making the club available to some students, in particular &ldquo;Black girls who identify as Black, African, African American, biracial, or part of the African diaspora and nonbinary students,&rdquo; as seen on a flyer advertising the program.<\/p>\n<p>That flyer described the opportunity as a &ldquo;weekly afterschool club&rdquo; that lasts for eight weeks and focuses on leadership building, creative projects, and chances to increase confidence and self-esteem.<\/p>\n<p>The program is open for children between first and fifth grade who meet the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/major-liberal-city-set-discipline-students-based-race-gender-identity-restorative-justice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">criteria<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Parents Defending Education, which opposes &ldquo;discrimination on the basis of race and political indoctrination in America&rsquo;s schools,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/defendinged.org\/complaints\/ocr-complaint-district-of-columbia-public-schools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">noted<\/a> that the school system only allows &ldquo;some students to participate in affinity group programming and participation is based on their race.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We ask that the Department promptly investigate the allegations in this complaint, act swiftly to remedy unlawful policies and practices, and order appropriate relief,&rdquo; the group said.<\/p>\n<p>Caroline Moore, the vice president of Parents Defending Education, said in <a href=\"https:\/\/wjla.com\/news\/local\/dc-public-schools-hit-with-federal-civil-rights-complaint-over-student-affinity-group-district-of-columbia-public-schools-empowerment-club-parents-defending-education-washington-dc-crisis-in-the-classroom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">comments<\/a> to WJLA-TV that the club has &ldquo;created an academic community in which students are purposely separated because of their race at a very young age.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is unconscionable that this is happening in public schools, let alone in a metropolitan area, at such impressionable ages,&rdquo; Moore contended.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Public schools should foster all students based on their needs and encourage them to befriend all of their classmates, not just the ones who look like them.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>WJLA-TV reported that Parents Defending Education has submitted several similar complaints over &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/illinois-schools-equity-agenda-is-divisive-racial-ideology-lawsuit-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Illinois school\u2019s equity agenda is \u2018divisive racial\u2019 ideology: Lawsuit - Washington Examiner\">affinity groups&#038;rdquo<\/a>; across the country.<\/p>\n<p>That includes programs discovered at Boston Public Schools in Massachusetts and Rochester Public Schools in Minnesota.<\/p>\n<p>Parents Defending Education <a href=\"https:\/\/defendinged.org\/resources\/affinity-groups\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">described<\/a> affinity groups as &ldquo;school-sponsored groups that deliberately separate and divide students and staff into groups based on their skin color, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The organization said, they are &ldquo;being used in public and private schools all over the country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Even as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-sign-major-school-choice-executive-order-upend-public-school-system\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">schools<\/a> claim that the programs &ldquo;create supportive environments for students with d interests,&rdquo; affinity groups instead &ldquo;use skin color, ethnicity, or sexual orientation to define their groups.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Affinity groups, similar to social-emotional learning, ethnic studies may sound benign, noble even, but it is neither benign nor noble to separate students by race or any other immutable trait,&rdquo; Parents Defending Education added.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;These groups teach children that our sameness and our differences are found in our immutable traits like skin color.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The District of Columbia Public Schools are accused of racial discrimination through an &#8220;affinity group&#8221; program, as stated in a federal civil rights complaint filed by the parental rights organization Parents Defending Education. The complaint, submitted on January 9 to the U.S. Department of Education&#8217;s Office for Civil Rights, calls for an investigation into a program named the &#8220;Empowerment Club.&#8221; It claims that the schools violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment by restricting club access to specific students\u2014namely \u201cBlack girls who identify as Black, African, African American, biracial or part of the African diaspora and nonbinary students,\u201d according to promotional materials. The flyer describes this initiative as a weekly afterschool club lasting eight weeks that aims to build leadership skills and boost confidence among children in grades one through five who meet these criteria<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2396961,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/School-Bus.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[49486,35136,49488,49485,49487],"class_list":["post-2396960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-dc-public-schools","tag-education-policy","tag-empowerment-club","tag-federal-civil-rights","tag-race-based-programs"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/School-Bus.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2396960","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2396960"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2396960\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2396964,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2396960\/revisions\/2396964"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2396961"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2396960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2396960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2396960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}