Federal investigators looking into Jefferson Parish public schools' treatment of Latino students
Federal authorities have decided to investigate claims that the Jefferson Parish schoolsystem discriminates against Latino students. The Southern Poverty Law Center lodged the complaint in August and now the civil rights divisions of the Justice Department and Education Department say they will take up the matter.
"The complaint we received raises concerns about the district's compliance with federal obligations to ensure that its policies and practices do not discriminate against students on the basis of race, color or national origin," says a joint letter by the agencies. "We have made no conclusion as to whether there has been any violation."
The law center, a civil rights advocacy group
