WPN is a volunteer association of more than 2,600 parents dedicated to protecting the rights of parents and children

Carleen Johnson
The Center Square Washington

Washington Parents Network filed a complaint Friday against Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal for alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

“There’s a federal law called Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that requires that any program that receives federal funding not discriminate against anyone based on their race or the color of their skin,” WPN Executive Director David Spring said regarding the complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights.

WPN is a volunteer association of more than 2,600 parents dedicated to protecting the rights of parents and children.

This is the second complaint filed by WPN against Reykdal.

As reported by The Center Square, WPN previously filed a complaint against Reykdal and Gov. Bob Ferguson over alleged violations of Title IX, concerning protections for women and girls in sports and educational opportunities.

“We contend that all of Reykdal’s DEI programs, which we call racial shaming programs, violate Title VI, and we’re asking the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights to investigate these programs and, if they are in violation, hold Chris Reykdal accountable,” Spring continued.

Friday’s complaint states that in Students v. Harvard, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that any and all racial preference programs that receive federal funds violate Title VI and must end.

Upon being sworn in for a second term, President Donald Trump issued a series of executive orders ending DEI – diversity, equity, and inclusion – programs. On April 3, the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights sent letters to all state commissioners overseeing K-12 state education agencies requiring them to certify their compliance with antidiscrimination obligations as clarified by Students v. Harvard in order to continue receiving federal financial assistance.

On April 8, Reykdal, issued a press release indicating he would not comply with the letter’s demands, stating the Harvard case only applied to “college admissions policies.”

“Washington has already submitted the mandatory assurances that our state will follow the legal mandates of Title VI,” the release said. “The Department’s decision to introduce a re-certification process in the middle of the funding award period is unusual and should be approached with caution. The Department does not have the legal authority to break protocol in this manner.”

Spring says he’s learned that the U.S. Department of Justice will soon be announcing a new investigation into Reykdal’s office.

“There are many school districts in Washington that have filed Title IX complaints and FERPA complaints, and now this week we learned they [DOJ] are going to investigate all of the complaints. This includes Title IX complaints, FERPA complaints, and now our Title VI complaint.”

FERPA is the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. FERPA also controls how schools can share student information, generally requiring parental consent before releasing personally identifiable information. 

“There’s a whole pile of laws being violated, and I believe they [DOJ] are writing up the complaints right now, and they will make an announcement next week,” Spring said, pointing to the DOJ investigating the state of Maine for similar alleged violations. “I believe the day of reckoning is going to happen sometime next week.”

The Center Square contacted the DOJ for comment on the potential investigation into OSPI but received a “no comment” email.

An email request for comment was also sent to OSPI about the latest complaint and after initial publication.

“It is really unfortunate that the phrase ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ has become so politicized,” Katy Payne, OSPI chief communications officer, replied via email. “’DEI’ programs, strategies, and funding models have been foundational to American progress for many decades. The state Legislature, often with bipartisan votes, has put laws into place that solidify Washington’s continued commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion – programs and strategies that have repeatedly shown they benefit all students. OSPI is constitutionally charged with implementing, upholding, and enforcing the law, and we will continue to do so.”

Spring noted that “They are already investigating California and Minnesota, and they’ve added Oregon and now Washington. The thing about Washington that is different is that in these other states, the violations are mainly about one law violation, mainly Title IX or FERPA. Washington is going to be the first state where they’re going to investigate multiple violations of law with Title IX, FERPA and Title VI.”

He said the financial implications from the federal government could devastate Washington schools.

“We’re talking about impending doom here in Washington state,” Spring said. “The clock is ticking, and somebody needs to tell Reykdal that this is a war he’s going to lose. My hope is that enough legislators stand up on the floor of the Senate and the House and say it’s time to end this and simply comply with the law.”

Spring said he sent notices to lawmakers about the new complaint and pending DOJ investigations, urging them to pressure OSPI to comply with federal law.

Rep. Matt Marshall, R-Eatonville, said he was emailed the new WPN complaint and told The Center Square Reykdal and OSPI are risking far too much for Washington schools. 

“In Washington state, we’ve taken things from supporting equality to brow-beating our students with radical racial ideology, which is not helpful and does not promote equality,” Marshall said. “I find it ironic that OSPI and Chris Reykdal are crying foul over the federal government threatening funding for failing to comply with federal law and regulations when that is the first thing that OSPI and Reykdal have done to local school districts when they exercise any sort of local autonomy.”

This report was first published by The Center Square Washington.