Latest news with #LegalInsurrectionFoundation
Fox News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Investigation finds RI Public School District offered student loan forgiveness to only non-White teachers
FIRST ON FOX: An investigation conducted by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found there was reasonable cause to believe that the Providence Public School District was unlawfully discriminating against White teachers by only offering student loan forgiveness to non-White educators. "The evidence obtained during the investigation establishes reasonable cause to believe that Respondent engaged in unlawful discrimination against a class of White applicants and employees who applied and were hired by Respondent in a teaching position for five academic years starting with the 2021-2022 school year based on their race, color and national origin," the EEOC's final determination letter stated on Thursday. In 2022, the Legal Insurrection Foundation, a Rhode Island-based nonprofit investigative and research group, filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education against the Providence Public School District. The group alleged that the Providence Public School District offered a program giving student loan forgiveness to new teachers available only to non-White educators. The complaint maintained that the Providence Public School District "engaged in a continuing violation and an ongoing pattern or practice of discrimination" with a student loan forgiveness program for newly and recently hired educators that is only accessible to non-White applicants, which was called the "Educator of Color Loan Forgiveness Program." The Providence Public School District reportedly said that recipients can have up to $25,000 of college loans forgiven once the teacher completes three consecutive years of teaching in the district. Eligibility requirements indicate recipients must "identify as Asian, Black, Indigenous, Latino, biracial, or multi-racial." The EEOC final determination letter states that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, mandates that if violations are found, the Providence Public School District must work to bring a resolution. It directs the Providence Public School District to contact the EEOC "within ten days upon your receipt of this letter to indicate your willingness to participate in EEOC's conciliation program to address the violation noted in this letter of determination." In a statement to Fox News Digital, William Jacobson, Cornell law professor and founder of the Equal Protection Project, said, "After almost three years of effort, EPP is seeing the legal pieces fall into place to stop this racist program and to hold those responsible accountable." "The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a formal investigation and now the EEOC has issued a finding of 'reasonable cause' to believe the civil rights laws were violated," Jacobson said. "We are gratified by the findings of the EEOC, and look forward to the EEOC taking further legal action to vindicate the rights of hundreds, if not thousands, of White teachers who were subject to unlawful discriminatory treatment." Fox News Digital reached out to the Providence Public School District for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump administration opens inquiry into universities over Daca scholarships
The Trump administration's Department of Education announced on Wednesday that it has opened national-origin discrimination investigations into five US universities over what it described as 'alleged exclusionary scholarships referencing foreign-born students'. According to the announcement, the department's office for civil rights has opened investigations into the University of Louisville, the University of Nebraska Omaha, the University of Miami, the University of Michigan and Western Michigan University. The department said that the investigations will determine whether these universities are granting scholarships exclusively to students who are recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) program, who came to the US as children, or who are undocumented 'in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964's (Title VI) prohibition against national origin discrimination'. The investigation stems from complaints submitted by the Legal Insurrection Foundation's Equal Protection Project, a conservative legal group. The group alleges in the complaints that certain scholarships at these schools are limited to students with Daca status or who are undocumented, which they argue is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 'and its implementing regulations by illegally discriminating against students based on their national origin'. In a post on X announcing the investigations on Wednesday, the education secretary, Linda McMahon, said that 'non-citizens should not be given special preference over American citizens for scholarships at American universities'. In addition to those scholarships, the education department's office for civil rights said on Wednesday that the investigations would also 'examine additional scholarships that appear to exclude students based on other aspects of Title VI, including race and color'. The education department's announcement on Wednesday came shortly after the US state department said it had launched a new investigation into Harvard University's 'continued eligibility' as a sponsor in a government-run visa program for international students and professors. In the announcement, the statement department wrote: 'To maintain their privilege to sponsor exchange visitors, sponsors must comply with all regulations, including conducting their programs in a manner that does not undermine the foreign policy objectives or compromise the national security interests of the United States.' 'The investigation will ensure that State Department programs do not run contrary to our nation's interests,' the announcement added. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion Earlier this week, lawyers representing Harvard University and the Trump administration appeared in federal court for a hearing over the administration's decision to cut billions in federal funding to the university – an action that Harvard has argued is unlawful. The Trump administration has taken various steps to restrict the entry of foreign students to the US. It has attempted to ban Harvard from enrolling them at all in a move blocked last month by the same federal judge overseeing the case over funding cuts to the university, and announced new rules scrutinizing the social media presence of international students applying for US visas.
CNN
6 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights initiates investigation into 5 universities over DACA scholarships
Five universities are under investigation by the US Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights for providing scholarships to undocumented immigrants enrolled in the Obama-era DACA program, according to a statement from the Department of Education Wednesday. DACA, or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, allows hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children to live, work and pursue an education in the country. The department's investigation focuses on scholarships for DACA students but also includes LGBTQ+ students of color, Latin or Hispanic, African American, Native American or other minority students, the agency said in a statement. The schools under scrutiny are the University of Louisville, the University of Nebraska Omaha, the University of Miami, the University of Michigan and Western Michigan University. 'The investigations will determine whether these universities are granting scholarships only for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or 'undocumented' students, in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964's (Title VI) prohibition against national origin discrimination,' the Department of Education said. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act bans any institution receiving federal funds from discriminating based on race, color and national origin. The investigations into the universities were launched following complaints from the conservative nonprofit Legal Insurrection Foundation's Equal Protection Project. 'Protecting equal access to education includes protecting the rights of American-born students. At the Equal Protection Project, we are gratified that the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights is acting on our complaints regarding scholarships that excluded American-born students,' said William A. Jacobson, founder of the Equal Protection Project. 'Discrimination against American-born students must not be tolerated.' Calls and emails to the University of Nebraska Omaha, the University of Miami and Western Michigan University were not immediately returned. John Karman, the University of Louisville's interim vice president for communications and marketing, told CNN, 'The university was just notified of the investigation yesterday. We are reviewing the claims.' Kay Jarvis, the University of Michigan's director of public affairs, said in a statement to CNN, 'The university has received a letter of notification relating to this matter. We have no further comment.' The Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights office works to protect students by holding schools and colleges that receive federal funds accountable for combating antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism and discrimination against students with disabilities. Efforts to dismantle the department are underway and the agency's civil rights office has been hit hard by a combination of layoffs and voluntary 'buyouts.' What will happen to the office is still uncertain, but employees within the office have told CNN they are extremely concerned about their ability to process the claims effectively with half of the staff. Earlier this year, the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights sent letters to dozens of colleges and universities it says are under investigation for alleged violations 'relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination,' warning institutions of possible consequences if they don't take adequate steps to protect Jewish students. CNN's Karina Tsui, Elizabeth Wolfe and Shania Shelton contributed to this report.
CNN
6 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights initiates investigation into 5 universities over DACA scholarships
Five universities are under investigation by the US Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights for providing scholarships to undocumented immigrants enrolled in the Obama-era DACA program, according to a statement from the Department of Education Wednesday. DACA, or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, allows hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children to live, work and pursue an education in the country. The department's investigation focuses on scholarships for DACA students but also includes LGBTQ+ students of color, Latin or Hispanic, African American, Native American or other minority students, the agency said in a statement. The schools under scrutiny are the University of Louisville, the University of Nebraska Omaha, the University of Miami, the University of Michigan and Western Michigan University. 'The investigations will determine whether these universities are granting scholarships only for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or 'undocumented' students, in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964's (Title VI) prohibition against national origin discrimination,' the Department of Education said. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act bans any institution receiving federal funds from discriminating based on race, color and national origin. The investigations into the universities were launched following complaints from the conservative nonprofit Legal Insurrection Foundation's Equal Protection Project. 'Protecting equal access to education includes protecting the rights of American-born students. At the Equal Protection Project, we are gratified that the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights is acting on our complaints regarding scholarships that excluded American-born students,' said William A. Jacobson, founder of the Equal Protection Project. 'Discrimination against American-born students must not be tolerated.' Calls and emails to the University of Nebraska Omaha, the University of Miami and Western Michigan University were not immediately returned. John Karman, the University of Louisville's interim vice president for communications and marketing, told CNN, 'The university was just notified of the investigation yesterday. We are reviewing the claims.' Kay Jarvis, the University of Michigan's director of public affairs, said in a statement to CNN, 'The university has received a letter of notification relating to this matter. We have no further comment.' The Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights office works to protect students by holding schools and colleges that receive federal funds accountable for combating antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism and discrimination against students with disabilities. Efforts to dismantle the department are underway and the agency's civil rights office has been hit hard by a combination of layoffs and voluntary 'buyouts.' What will happen to the office is still uncertain, but employees within the office have told CNN they are extremely concerned about their ability to process the claims effectively with half of the staff. Earlier this year, the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights sent letters to dozens of colleges and universities it says are under investigation for alleged violations 'relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination,' warning institutions of possible consequences if they don't take adequate steps to protect Jewish students. CNN's Karina Tsui, Elizabeth Wolfe and Shania Shelton contributed to this report.
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump administration opens inquiry into universities over Daca scholarships
The Trump administration's Department of Education announced on Wednesday that it has opened national-origin discrimination investigations into five US universities over what it described as 'alleged exclusionary scholarships referencing foreign-born students'. According to the announcement, the department's office for civil rights has opened investigations into the University of Louisville, the University of Nebraska Omaha, the University of Miami, the University of Michigan and Western Michigan University. The department said that the investigations will determine whether these universities are granting scholarships exclusively to students who are recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) program, who came to the US as children, or who are undocumented 'in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964's (Title VI) prohibition against national origin discrimination'. The investigation stems from complaints submitted by the Legal Insurrection Foundation's Equal Protection Project, a conservative legal group. The group alleges in the complaints that certain scholarships at these schools are limited to students with Daca status or who are undocumented, which they argue is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 'and its implementing regulations by illegally discriminating against students based on their national origin'. In a post on X announcing the investigations on Wednesday, the education secretary, Linda McMahon, said that 'non-citizens should not be given special preference over American citizens for scholarships at American universities'. In addition to those scholarships, the education department's office for civil rights said on Wednesday that the investigations would also 'examine additional scholarships that appear to exclude students based on other aspects of Title VI, including race and color'. The education department's announcement on Wednesday came shortly after the US state department said it had launched a new investigation into Harvard University's 'continued eligibility' as a sponsor in a government-run visa program for international students and professors. In the announcement, the statement department wrote: 'To maintain their privilege to sponsor exchange visitors, sponsors must comply with all regulations, including conducting their programs in a manner that does not undermine the foreign policy objectives or compromise the national security interests of the United States.' 'The investigation will ensure that State Department programs do not run contrary to our nation's interests,' the announcement added. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion Earlier this week, lawyers representing Harvard University and the Trump administration appeared in federal court for a hearing over the administration's decision to cut billions in federal funding to the university – an action that Harvard has argued is unlawful. The Trump administration has taken various steps to restrict the entry of foreign students to the US. It has attempted to ban Harvard from enrolling them at all in a move blocked last month by the same federal judge overseeing the case over funding cuts to the university, and announced new rules scrutinizing the social media presence of international students applying for US visas.
