Providence Schools Found to Have Violated Civil Rights with Loan Program

Providence Schools Found to Have Violated Civil Rights with Loan Program

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has completed its investigation and found that the Providence Public School Department (PPSD) violated the Civil Rights Act with $25,000 program exclusively for non-White educators.

According to the letter sent to the PPSD’s lawyer Charles Ruggerio, the EEOC wrote, “Charging Party claims that since 2021, Respondent has engaged in a pattern and practice of employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin.” 

“Charging Party alleges that Respondent engaged in a pattern and practice of denying the hiring and offering of favorable terms and conditions of employment to applicants and employees on the basis of their race, White. Charging Party further alleges Respondent offered favorable terms and conditions of employment through its student loan forgiveness program titled the ‘Educator of Color Loan Forgiveness Program,’ that was limited to newly hired non-White employees,” writes the EEOC.

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"Respondent denies engaging in any unlawful discrimination under Title VII. Respondent claims that Charging Party does not have standing to file a complaint because Charging Party is not an aggrieved individual or victim to any adverse employment action by Respondent. Respondent further denies that Respondent engaged in any discriminatory actions because the "Educator of Color Loan Forgiveness Program" is a grant program funded and administered solely by a third-party foundation and is not part of Respondent's hiring and employment process to recruit qualified educators of all races and nationalities. Respondent maintains that the Educator of Color Loan Forgiveness Program serves as an incentive to encourage additional applicants to apply for vacant teaching positions, states the EEOC.

The charging party who filed the complaint is Ameer Benno c/o Legal Insurrection Foundation. The address of the complainant is 18 Maple Avenue in Barrington, a UPS store.

The Legal Insurrection Foundation, said in a post about the findings of the EEOC, "After almost three years of effort, EPP is seeing the legal pieces fall into place to stop this racist program and to hold those responsible accountable. We also repeat our call for the U.S. Department of Justice to open a formal investigation of the Rhode Island Foundation, one of the key culprits here."

The Rhode Island Foundation is headed by former Democratic Congressman David Ciccilne.

According to the EEOC, "The evidence obtained by the Commission shows that in April 2021, Respondent entered into an agreement with the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and a third-party foundation for Respondent’s recruitment and retention of new teachers of color."

 

 

"New Teachers of Color"

"The evidence obtained during the investigation establishes that Respondent entered into a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the implementation of the Educator of Color Loan Forgiveness Program with the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and a third-party foundation on May 4, 2021. The evidence shows that Respondent advertised the Educator of Color Loan Forgiveness Program on job postings and on its website to recruit and hire non-White teachers.  The evidence reveals that Respondent’s Educator of Color Loan Forgiveness Program pays for student loans up to $25,000 for a period of three years solely for 'new teachers of color,'" wrote the EEOC.

Further, the letter stated, "The evidence obtained during the investigation establishes reasonable cause to believe that Respondent engaged in unlawful discrimination against a class of White applicants and employees who applied and were hired by Respondent in a teaching position for five academic years starting with the 2021-2022 school year based on their race, color and national origin, in violation of Title VII, as amended."   

The EEOC letter, signed by Feng K. An, Director of the Boston Area Office of the EEOC, goes on to state:

This determination is final. Title VII requires that, if the Commission determines that there is reasonable cause to believe that violations have occurred, it shall endeavor to eliminate the alleged unlawful employment practices by informal methods of conference, conciliation, and persuasion.  Having determined that there is reason to believe that violations have occurred, the Commission now invites Respondent to join with it in an effort toward a just resolution of this matter.  Please contact Equal 

Opportunity Investigator at within ten days upon your receipt of this letter to indicate your willingness to participate in EEOC’s conciliation program to address the violation noted in this letter of determination.  

Disclosure of information obtained by the Commission during the conciliation process may only be made in accordance with Title VII and the Commission’s Procedural Regulations.  The confidentiality provisions of Sections 706 and 709 of Title VII and Commission Regulations apply to information obtained during conciliation. 

If Respondent declines to enter into conciliation discussions, or when the Commission’s representative is unable to secure an acceptable conciliation agreement, the Director shall so inform the parties, advising them of the court enforcement alternatives available to aggrieved persons and the Commission. 

GoLocal has reached out to PPSD, but has not received a response at the time of publication.