White girls are barred from a public school leadership program in Oak Park, Illinois. A watchdog group says the program is in “direct violation” of the law.
“Girls on the Rise” is a “safe space for girls of color,” according to the Wednesday Journal, a local news outlet. Oak Park Township Supervisor Dominique Hickman created the program, which is now offered in at least four public schools, including Oak Park River Forest High School.
The Township describes the program as a “specialized group for Black and Brown girls.” Nearby River Forest Township calls it “a unique and innovative program designed for girls of color in grades 3-12.”
This is illegal, according to Ed Bartlett, president of Stop Abusive and Violent Environments. His group advocates equal protection of the law, particularly in education.
The program “is in direct violation of Title IX, which has banned sex discrimination in schools but also is a violation of the federal laws race discrimination as well,” Barlett told the Washington Examiner in a phone interview. “This just stands out as a sore thumb in terms of violating the law.”
There are other problems; Hickman’s comments suggest even racial minority males do not have a fair shot at getting hired for the open position of program facilitator.
“Part of what makes the program successful is the coordinators’ ability to relate to the girls who are participating, as the program is run by women of color,” the Wednesday Journal reported, paraphrasing Hickman’s comments.
“That is the whole basis of Girls on the Rise, is that our facilitators look like the girls that are in the program so they can be more comfortable and have the sense that someone knows what they are going through,” the township supervisor said.
Her comments “absolutely … raise concerns about violating laws that ban racial and sex discrimination,” Bartlett said.
A former Department of Education official agrees.
The township “appears to be violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution by discriminating on the basis of race and sex,” Adam Kissel told the Washington Examiner via email. “All signs are that eligibility for participation and for serving as a mentor are limited by race and sex.”
Township “may also be violating state or local civil rights laws” and is “likely” in violation of Title VI, if it receives federal funds, the former deputy assistant director in the Education Department said.
“To the extent employment in this program privileges or limits anyone by race, the township is also violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act,” he said.
Hickman and the two public school districts involved in this program, District 90 and District 97, both did not respond to requests for comment on the legality of the program and comparable options for male students.
Public schools that want to help girls grow in self-esteem have legal options to advance the worthwhile goal of helping students grow in life skills. They can offer either coed programs for all students, of all races. Or they can offer a male leadership program and a female leadership program.
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After all, it is boys who need help, according to Barlett.
“The reality is that we need to emphasize, it’s boys, it’s boys who are the ones struggling in school, they’re the ones who are dropping out, less likely to go to college, or getting lower grades,” Bartlett said. “If we’re going to even have a conversation about disadvantaged students, we have to focus on what’s called the ‘boy crisis.’”
Matt Lamb is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is an associate editor for The College Fix and has previously worked for Students for Life of America and Turning Point USA.