Sunday update:
Maize South Intermediate School has been identified as the K-12 institution in Kansas that is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education for alleged incidents of antisemitism or Islamophobia.
The district said a complaint of the incident was filed on Aug. 10 with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.
“Information requested of the district referenced and unspecified allegation occurring in March 2023 at Maize South Intermediate School,” USD 266 spokesperson Lori O’Toole Buselt said in an email.
Specifics of the alleged incident are unknown since the district has not received a copy of the complaint, Buselt added.
“Maize USD 266 is working with legal counsel through the process and reiterates that it will fully cooperate with the investigation,” the district said.
The Maize school district has about 8,000 students, with 73% being white and 27% minorities.
Original story:
The Maize School District is among seven institutions under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for alleged antisemitism or Islamophobia.
The investigations come in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and are part of the Biden Administration’s “continued efforts to take aggressive action to address the alarming nationwide rise in reports of antisemitism, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and other forms of discrimination and harassment on college campuses and in K-12 schools,” according to a Department of Education news release that announced the investigations Thursday.
The Maize School District is the only K-12 institution on the list. The rest are colleges: Columbia University in New York, Cornell University in New York, Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, Wellesley College in Massachusetts, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York and the University of Pennsylvania.
The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights released the list Thursday. It shows higher education and K-12 schools “under investigation for alleged shared ancestry violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), which prohibits race, color, or national origin discrimination, including harassment based on a person’s shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics,” the news release says.
Specifics of the allegations against the Maize School District weren’t immediately clear.
Five of the investigations involve alleged antisemitic harassment and two involve alleged anti-Muslim harassment, the release says. An institution’s inclusion on the investigation list doesn’t necessarily mean it has broken the law.
USD 266 spokeswoman Lori O’Toole Buselt said in an emailed statement that the district received an email from the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights at 6:38 p.m. Thursday. The department did not provide the district with a copy of the complaint, “so we are unable to make any further comment regarding this matter,” O’Toole Buselt wrote.
The district has around 8,000 students from Maize, northwest Wichita and the surrounding area, according to its website.
“Maize USD 266 takes allegations of discrimination seriously and is committed to cooperating fully with any investigation,” O’Toole Buselt said in the statement. “The school district is dedicated to providing a place for teaching and learning that prioritizes and champions respect and inclusivity and where all students and employees feel safe and valued.”
All of the institutions under investigation were apparently notified late this week. Five of the investigations were opened Thursday and two were opened Wednesday.
The U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights plans to update weekly its list of K-12 schools and higher education institutions under investigation for possible shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics discrimination. Some examples of complaints that fall under that umbrella include ethnic or ancestral slurs aimed at students, harassment tied to dress or language linked to ethnicity or ancestry, and stereotyping.
Anyone can filed a Title VI complaint with the Office of Civil Rights. Complaints can be filed on forms available at www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/complaintintro.html or by letter or email.
“Hate has no place in our schools, period. When students are targeted because they are — or are perceived to be — Jewish, Muslim, Arab, Sikh, or any other ethnicity or shared ancestry, schools must act to ensure safe and inclusive educational environments where everyone is free to learn,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a prepared statement included with the release.
Colleges, universities and K-12 schools that receive federal funding are required to provide all students with a discrimination-free school environment. Those that violate the law or refuse to address problems risk losing federal funding. They can also be referred to the U.S. Department of Justice, the release says.
Contributing: Eduardo Castillo of The Wichita Eagle
This story was originally published November 17, 2023 10:54 AM.
