The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has reached a resolution agreement with the Ann Arbor Schools regarding a discrimination case where a counselor referred to a student as a “terrorist.”
The report says the district did not assess whether a hostile environment followed from the incident and only allowed written discrimination complaints, which violates the law.
Under the agreement, the district will conduct a climate assessment and make any needed adjustments.
Department of Education Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine Lhamon says the district will face federal monitoring to see it complies.
“It’s a very serious penalty, first of all, to be subject to federal monitoring that is ongoing. So, yes, it’s a short version. And if, ultimately, the district doesn’t comply with the law, our tool is to withhold federal funds from the district.”
In a statement, spokesman Andrew Cluley said the district stands against all forms of racism, hate, discrimination and bias.
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