{"id":2607774,"date":"2026-05-28T10:40:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T14:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oregon-faces-civil-rights-complaint-over-racial-quotas-in-education-funding\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T10:43:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T14:43:07","slug":"oregon-faces-civil-rights-complaint-over-racial-quotas-in-education-funding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oregon-faces-civil-rights-complaint-over-racial-quotas-in-education-funding\/","title":{"rendered":"Oregon faces civil rights complaint over racial quotas in education funding"},"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\">22<\/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%2Foregon-faces-civil-rights-complaint-over-racial-quotas-in-education-funding%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=2607774&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>Two education watchdog groups, Defending Education and Do No Harm, have filed a joint complaint with the U.S. Justice Department\u2019s Office for Civil Rights,accusing Oregon of using race in its education funding policies in violation of Title VI and the Constitution.  <\/p>\n<p>The complaint targets Oregon\u2019s Charter School Equity grant,which requires 65% of a charter school\u2019s students to be from minority groups or be disabled to qualify,and Oregon\u2019s higher-education funding approach that allocates money based in part on minority student graduation numbers.  <\/p>\n<p>The groups argue that these <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/department-of-energy-may-consider-whether-scientist-is-a-minority-when-awarding-grants\/\" title=\"... Of Energy \u2018May Consider\u2019 Whether Scientist Is A Minority When Awarding Grants\">race-based funding<\/a> formulas function like <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >federal programs previously found unlawful<\/a> in the wake of *Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard*. They note that DOJ legal counsel had earlier advised the Oregon Department of Education that similar federal education funding programs likely violated Title VI after the Supreme court decision.  <\/p>\n<p>Defending Education and Do No Harm ask the Office for Civil Rights to open an inquiry into Oregon\u2019s Department of Education and its Higher Education Coordinating Commission and to address any Title VI and Equal Protection violations.  <\/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<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>EXCLUSIVE \u2014 <\/strong>Two education watchdogs, Defending Education and Do No Harm, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/defendinged.org\/complaints\/defending-education-and-do-no-harm-file-joint-complaint-against-the-oregon-department-of-education-and-higher-education-commission-for-violations-of-title-v\/\">filed a joint complaint<\/a> with the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"438\">Justice Department\u2019s<\/a> Office of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/civil-rights\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"415\">Civil Rights<\/a> on Thursday, alleging that <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/oregon\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1417\">Oregon<\/a> has illegally considered race in its education funding policies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Oregon Department of Education requires that 65% of a charter school\u2019s student body be from a minority group or disabled to qualify for a Charter School Equity Grant. The state\u2019s Higher Education Coordinating Commission also distributes funding to Oregon\u2019s public universities according to the number of minority students who graduate.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/education\/4585008\/civil-rights-complaint-oregon-racial-quota-school-funding\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Watchdogs file civil rights complaint against Oregon over racial quotas in school funding policies<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4582508\/doj-sues-ucla-fostering-hostile-antisemitism-jewish-israeli-students\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>DOJ sues UCLA for fostering \u2018hostile\u2019 antisemitic environment for Jewish and Israeli students<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/education\/4577005\/states-lawsuit-trump-administration-student-loan-cap\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Twenty-five states sue Trump administration over student loan cap for graduate programs<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOregon\u2019s use of student racial demographics to allocate public funding for K-12 schools and universities is immoral and violates the Constitution and federal antidiscrimination law,\u201d Dr. Kurt Miceli, Chief Medical Officer of Do No Harm, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cPolitical activists have long pushed institutions to support equity over equality, and Oregon\u2019s system of race-based funding to remedy vague claims of \u2018societal discrimination\u2019 is a clear example.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The charter school grant program was allocated over $4 million in Gov. Tina Kotek\u2019s (D-OR) budget for the years 2025 to 2027 to support eight schools, while the public university fund is set to manage over $1 billion for the same period.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All organizations that receive federal funding are obligated to follow Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination \u201con the ground of race, color, or national origin.\u201d The Oregon Education Department receives more than $150 million annually in federal funding, and the higher education commission similarly benefits from federal grants and student financial aid programs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLast December, the Department of Justice\u2019s Office of Legal Counsel analyzed similar race-based federal education grants in light of <em>Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard<\/em> and determined that most of those programs unconstitutionally discriminated based on race,\u201d the complaint read.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Justice Department had <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/olc\/media\/1421576\/dl\">advised the Education Department<\/a> that preexisting federal education funding programs violated Title VI, according to the agency\u2019s interpretation of the law following the Supreme Court decision.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 6-3 decision in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2578872\/supreme-court-bans-affirmative-action-in-ruling-against-race-conscious-college-admissions-2\/\"><em>Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard<\/em><\/a><em> <\/em>found that the consideration of race in college admissions was illegal under the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. In May, the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4569471\/doj-yale-medical-school-discrimination-race\/\">DOJ accused Yale\u2019s medical school<\/a> of violating federal law by using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/apologists-for-race-based-college-admissions-cant-explain-its-educational-benefits\/\" title=\"Apologists for ...-Based College Admissions Can\u2019t Explain Its ...al Benefits\">race-based admission policies<\/a> despite the 2023 court decision.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThose programs were like Oregon\u2019s Equity Grant program in both form and function,\u201d the letter continued. \u201cIn fact, many of the programs that the Acting Attorney General deemed unconstitutional had quotas that required only a fraction of Oregon\u2019s 65% enrollment threshold.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4582508\/doj-sues-ucla-fostering-hostile-antisemitism-jewish-israeli-students\/\">DOJ SUES UCLA FOR FOSTERING \u2018HOSTILE\u2019 ANTISEMITIC ENVIRONMENT FOR JEWISH AND ISRAELI STUDENTS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFor these reasons, Defending Education and Do No Harm respectfully ask OCR to open a civil rights investigation into Oregon\u2019s Department of Education and Oregon\u2019s Higher Education Coordinating Commission and to resolve any violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and of the Fourteenth Amendment\u2019s Equal Protection Clause,\u201d the complaint concluded.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The complaint signals to the DOJ that Oregon\u2019s education funding may be worth investigating. It is now up to the department\u2019s Office of Civil Rights to pursue an investigation if it deems the complaint significant.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Watchdogs claim Oregon illegally uses race in education funding<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3892,"featured_media":2607775,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-collage-di8hjx988-1779973756910-e1779973852222.jpg?1779959527&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[33274,6642,49167],"class_list":["post-2607774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-civil-rights","tag-oregon","tag-racial-quotas"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-collage-di8hjx988-1779973756910-e1779973852222.jpg?1779959527&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2607774","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\/3892"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2607774"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2607774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2607778,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2607774\/revisions\/2607778"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2607775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2607774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2607774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2607774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}