Southlake families speak on civil rights violations

By Talia Richman

Southlake families who sounded the alarm about discrimination in Carroll schools want district leaders to negotiate in good faith with federal officials over civil rights violations.

During a Tuesday news conference, they pointed to Superintendent Lane Ledbetter’s words from 2021 when the schools leader said in a video message to families that, should the Office for Civil Rights determine the district must take certain steps, “then we will absolutely comply.”

“Well, now we urge Superintendent Ledbetter to fulfill that commitment by agreeing to remedies that will address the hostile environment in Carroll ISD schools,” said Russell Maryland, a father who is part of the Cultural & Racial Equity for Every Dragon organization.

Over the last three years, several Southlake families waited for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to investigate their grievances against Carroll ISD and potentially take action.

Their complaints alleged years of race and gender-based discrimination, which they said district officials knew about but failed to adequately respond to. Angela Jones, one of the mothers who submitted a complaint, recalled her son repeatedly being called “filthy N-word” by a classmate.

The families learned last week that the federal office invited Carroll officials to negotiate a resolution on four of the open civil rights complaints.

The Department of Education does not comment on pending investigations. A spokesperson for Carroll ISD did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Those who spoke out Tuesday are members of coalitions that have pushed Carroll school leaders to address allegations of pervasive harassment and discrimination based on race, gender identity and sexuality.

The families now want a resolution that requires the district to train staff on how to respond to discrimination, to recruit diverse faculty members and to use inclusive teaching materials, among other remedies.

“We have been urging these measures for years,” Southlake mother Pam Francis said. “Instead of implementing these inclusive measures, the school board has done the opposite, creating an educational environment that grows more hostile daily.”

In recent years, Carroll trustees have struck references to gender identity, sexual orientation and religion from the nondiscrimination statement in the district’s student code of conduct. They’ve passed policies targeting the bathrooms and pronouns used by transgender students.

Generally, when federal investigators determine a school violated a student’s civil rights, officials work on an agreement that can require specific action items for the district, such as increased training or policy revisions. Negotiations can take up to 90 days.

Federal officials then monitor how those are implemented. They can refer a case to the Department of Justice “in the event of breach.” Federal funding can be at stake.

Jones said her children faced many racist incidents at school. She questioned what reason the board and administration could have for not negotiating with the federal government.

She urged the parents of Black, brown, Jewish, Muslim and gay students to think before moving to Southlake.

“If CISD does not negotiate, it’s telling you: Your children are not welcome here,” Jones said.

The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.

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This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.