The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights is investigating complaints filed by two New York school district superintendents claiming state aid to public schools discriminates against minority, disabled, and non-English speaking students.
Dr. Ken Eastwood, superintendent of the Middletown City School District, and Larry Spring, superintendent of the Schenectady City School District, filed similar complaints last year against the state of New York, the New York State Legislature, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D.), and the state comptroller.
The DOE Office of Civil Rights recently announced it would investigate the superintendents’ claims, but only against the NYS Education Department and the Board of Regents, both of which receive federal assistance.
While the superintendents said it was welcome news, the move fell short of their expectations.
“I am happy that they are investigating, but it’s a small victory,” Spring said. He indicated the OCR’s focus on the Board of Regents and the NY State Education Department was only a small victory since they are not “the entities directly responsible for how much aid we get.”