New York School District Faces Call For Federal Investigation Into Race-Based Hiring

The Rochester City School District is facing calls for a federal investigation for allegedly engaging in racial discrimination with its hiring practices as part of its “equity policy” regime.

Parents Defending Education (PDE) wrote a letter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the agency’s New York District Office calling for an investigation into the district. PDE’s letter alleges that the district engaged in racial discrimination in its hiring process.

“Rochester City School District appears to be intentionally discriminating against its employees because of their race by making race a barrier to opportunity,” PDE wrote, pointing to specific “anti-racist” policies that encourage increased hiring of non-white applicants.

“Rochester City School District cannot discriminate on the basis of race for employment decisions. We ask that your office promptly investigate the allegations in this complaint, act swiftly to remedy unlawful policies and practices, and order appropriate relief.”

PDE highlighted one document the district created for its “Racial Equity Advocacy Leadership Team,” which outlines specific hiring goals that appear to disadvantage white people on the basis of their race. The district explains that it seeks to “recruit and retain significantly greater numbers of qualified, appropriately credentialed, underrepresented race and class-conscious staff of color: African American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American.”

The district also explains that it hopes to achieve a “10 percent year-over-year improvement in the number of Staff of color hired.”

PDE also honed in on a presentation from the school district called “Staff Diversity and Staffing Update: Building a workforce our students need,” which the organization alleges is evidence of racial discrimination.

The documents reveal that the Rochester City School District kept demographic data of its workforce and new hires, and made a plan to create a hiring pipeline out of historically black colleges and universities.

“Several systemic barriers exist that prevent us from recruiting, retaining, and developing a high quality and diverse workforce,” the district documents obtained by PDE state. “Our strategy includes several key programmatic work streams to attract, retain, and develop the right talent.”

“Specifically targeting HBCUs and community networks for hiring staff to fill quotas is appalling, but that is exactly what’s happening in Rochester City School District,” PDE Vice President Caroline Moore told The Daily Wire. “Under the guise of seeking ‘mission-driven’ educators, the district is willfully casting teachers aside who are qualified and replacing them with teachers who fit the bill of political race quotas, no matter their credentials.”

“The mission of a public school is to educate students, not foster an environment where students and teachers are pit against one another because of race and politics,” Moore asserted. 

The Rochester City School District did not immediately respond to a request for comment.