JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Are black and Hispanic students in Duval County schools getting equal access to a quality education?
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights is demanding to know and wants answers within the next six days.
DOCUMENT: Compliance review
Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti said the civil rights review is a waste of taxpayer money, and he suspects it was arranged as an attempt at retaliation by Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Jacksonville.
"It's upsetting, because I think it's rather suspicious as far as how this was initiated and generated," Vitti said. "The letter was forwarded to us from Congresswoman Brown's office."
Vitti said he thinks the civil rights investigation is a political witchhunt ordered by Brown.
READ: Letter advising Brown of civil rights review
"The letter came on the heels of a workshop, where the congresswoman made statements about the district being sued (over) the possible recommendation that I had for boundary changes," Vitti said. "So directly or indirectly, connecting the dots, this seems like it was retaliation."
Brown, on the other hand, adamantly denied having anything to do with the investigation.
"I did not, but I wish I had," Brown said. "I support it 100 percent, and I don't know what he thinks, but, in my opinion, he is the educational leader in this community, and I want him to lead all the children, and I don't want the disparity."
Brown said schools with a higher number of African-American and Hispanic students need more attention. She said recent changes to principals and teachers made by Vitti were made in error, and she wants all schools to have the same resources.
"I'll never forget, I went to the principal's office in this school, and the principal had a bucket catching water," Brown said. "And I went across the bridge and saw (that) those schools not only had computers in their classrooms, they had a refrigerator. I don't want to see this kind of disparity in our community."
The district was made aware of the compliance review on Oct. 30. It involves 45 questions and requirements that must be answered or met by Nov. 30.
Some of the questions include:
- Provide the district's total enrollment broken down by race, grade, national origin and gender.
- Provide a copy of the district's procedures describing how the district recruits, screens, hires and assigns recently hired or promoted school leaders.