Politics
NEW: DOJ Sues Minneapolis Schools For Racial Discrimination Against Teachers
The U.S. Department of Justice announced this week that its Civil Rights Division had filed a lawsuit against Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) over alleged racial discrimination against teachers in the school system.
The suit targets provisions in the district’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the teachers’ union, alleging that these provisions provide preferential treatment to certain teachers based on race, color, national origin, or sex. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.
It claims that the CBA classifies teachers differently for decisions involving involuntary reassignment, layoffs, and reinstatement, depending on whether a teacher is considered a member of an “underrepresented population.”
According to the complaint, this results in teachers from such groups receiving protections or preferences not available to others.
Additionally, the complaint addresses MPS’s partnership with the organization Black Men Teach. It alleges that fellows in the Black Men Teach program receive certain employment benefits, terms, and conditions—such as extra paid training days and exemptions from standard layoff policies—that are not extended to female teachers or non-black teachers.
The Justice Department states that these practices violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, or religion.The complaint notes that MPS has set goals to increase the proportion of staff identifying as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Specifically, the district aims for BIPOC staffing to reach at least 40 percent by 2026, and for at least 54.3 percent of new teacher hires in the 2026–2027 period to identify as BIPOC.
“Discrimination is unacceptable in all forms, especially when it comes to hiring decisions,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “Our public education system in Minnesota and across the country must be a bastion of merit and equal opportunity — not DEI.”
The lawsuit seeks a court declaration that the policies discriminate in violation of Title VII. It also requests a permanent injunction to prevent MPS from including similar provisions in future collective bargaining agreements.
“Employers may not provide more favorable terms and conditions of employment based on an employee’s race and sex,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice will vigorously pursue employers who deny their employees equal opportunities and benefits by classifying and limiting them based on their race, color, national origin, or sex.”
