The Lafayette Parish School System is being investigated for alleged racial discrimination by the U.S. Department of Education.
The Lafayette Parish School System is being investigated for alleged racial discrimination by the U.S. Department of Education.
According to the Daily Advertiser, which broke the story Monday afternoon, the investigation is being handled by the department's Office of Civil Rights.
"The case focuses on whether the district discriminated against black students on the basis of race with respect to discipline practices," a department spokesman told TDA via email.
Lafayette Parish Superintendent Pat Cooper confirmed with The IND that his office was notified of the investigation on June 17 and is cooperating in the process.
"All we know at this point is it's a race-based allegation involving one child and it's about a discipline issue," says Cooper. "We have until July 31 to give them all the necessary documents for the case."
The complaint, says Cooper, should open up a larger discussion about civil rights and whether the school system is complying with the terms of the federal discrimination lawsuit and consent decree, for which it received unitary status in 2006.
According to Cooper, most of the majority minority schools within the district do not receive the same resources.
Read more about that here.