Department of Justice reviewing concerns at Toledo Public Schools

The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio are investigating Toledo Public Schools amid allegations of significant racial disparities in student discipline and issues with how the district provides services to English Language Learner students.

The Justice Department sent a letter to Toledo Public Schools requesting information about each time school officials called law enforcement for an incident on school grounds, details about each time the district received complaints about racial discrimination in student discipline since 2008, and a list of all students disciplined since 2009 for school infractions, listed by race, school, and other categories. They also requested information about how the district provides services to English Language Learners and how it distributes information to parents whose first language isn't English.

The new investigation follows a compliance review started in 2010 by the Education Department after complaints that predominantly black Scott High School offers few college-prep classes when compared to other schools.