Education Department opens Title VI investigation into Portland Public Schools

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has opened a Title VI investigation into Portland Public Schools in Portland, Oregon, over its Center for Black Student Excellence, according to a Feb. 17 announcement by the department. The investigation follows a complaint alleging the district discriminates on the basis of race in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. According to the complaint, a recent $1.2 billion bond includes tens of millions of dollars for academic interventions, wraparound support, facilities and family programs exclusively for Black students, despite district data showing other student groups face similar or greater challenges.

According to 2021-2022 district data cited in the announcement, 17% of Black students met third-grade reading proficiency levels, compared to 17.6% of Native American students and 16.7% of Pacific Islander students. Graduation rates during that period were 79.4% for Black students, 61.5% for Native American students and 73.7% for Latinx students. The district’s school board rejected a proposal to allocate $40 million to a Native Student Success Center. Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said in a statement that OCR is committed to enforcing Title VI, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in programs receiving federal funding.