The Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 Board of Education recently approved a resolution agreement in response to a complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR), according to a Sept. 28 district statement.
The complaint, filed last spring, was related to a Black Lives Matter assembly held at the high school on Feb. 27. Approximately 350 students and staff members attended the forum — virtually all of whom identified as African American. The event, which the administration has described as an “affinity group,” comprised a discussion among panelists and audience members about their experiences at the school as black people. They also discussed “ways in which participants could better support each other and efforts to create positive change,” according to a district statement.
When reports surfaced that white students who were seeking to attend the discussion were excluded, a relatively minor outcry ensued among community members — which swiftly reverberated throughout the Web and across the media landscape.
On March 16, the board convened a three-hour public meeting to discuss the controversy. Although most attendees who spoke were in support of OPRF Principal Nathanial Rouse — whose idea it was to hold the affinity group discussion — some people suggested that complaints be filed with the OCR.
Even trustees who expressed support for the idea of affinity groups worried about the legal ramifications of the exclusively African American discussion, which was held to celebrate the end of Black History Month, prompted by the national Black Lives Movement, and was to be the first in a series of future discussions about racial equity at the school.
After the OCR complaint was filed, the federal agency launched an investigation into the district’s use of affinity groups.
“The OCR has ruled that voluntary affinity groups are permissible but cannot be exclusive,” the district’s statement noted. “These include assuring that all programs and activities are open to students, parents, procedures, and related materials; and training to ensure non-discrimination policies are upheld.”
CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com
