Civil rights complaint leads Minnesota high school to cancel trip excluding white students

A high school in Minnesota was forced to cancel a field trip scheduled only for students who ‘identify as a person of color’ after a civil rights complaint was filed. 

Mark Perry, a community member and retired professor in the Twin Cities in Minnesota, learned about the field trip through social media. The trip was reportedly exclusively available to students identifying as persons of color.  

The trip for Highland Park High School offered a chance for students to be exposed to digital marketing and advertising careers, according to Perry. 

According to Perry, the event, which allegedly discriminated against white students according to the civil rights complaint, was in violation of Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act. 

He also said that it equally violated the district’s own anti-discrimination policy. 

‘They maybe should have understood this was a problem before, but at least once it was brought to their attention,’ he told Fox 9. 

‘That’s the least I can expect then, that then they would do the right thing and comply with federal Civil Rights Laws – which in this case was cancelling the program or maybe it was too late to open it up to all students.’

Within hours of contacting the school, he received a messaged back that said the trip had been canceled.

The trip for Highland Park High School offered a chance for students to be exposed to digital marketing and advertising careers

Mark Perry, a community member and retired professor in Twin Cities in Minnesota, saw information on the field trip circulating on social media which allegedly only was available to student who identified as students of color

Screenshots from the complaint provided by parents of students within the school show who the field trip was intended for

 ‘Just as it would be illegal and objectionable for [Highland Park Senior High School] to offer a field trip that explicitly excluded students of color… it’s equally illegal and objectionable to host a racially segregated field trip exclusively for ‘students of color,’ Perry wrote on Tuesday in a letter to the school’s Principal Winston Tucker and BrandLab, the agency hosting the trip. 

Perry works as a senior fellow with Do No Harm and is a full-time civil rights advocate who has filed more than 2,000 violations of Title VI – race-based discrimination – and Title IX – sex-based discrimination – at colleges and universities over the last five years. 

‘There is no “good” form of discrimination, regardless of your intentions. It’s all bad and illegal when it violates the law,’ Perry said on the organization’s website. 

He began his work with no legal background but as an economics professor who challenged Michigan State University’s women-only lounge. 

‘My goal is to force colleges and universities to protect the federally guaranteed civil rights of all students, staff and faculty on their campuses… and end the inexcusable double standard in higher education for the selective enforcement of Title VI and Title XI,’ he said. 

‘Simply put, Title VI and Title XI are for all.’  

Despite a typical focus on higher education, he filed the complaint against the high school’s field trip this week with the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights in Chicago. 

Perry plans to withdraw the complaint once it is assigned a case number. 

‘Just as it would be illegal and objectionable for [Highland Park Senior High School] to offer a field trip that explicitly excluded students of color… it’s equally illegal and objectionable to host a racially segregated field trip exclusively for ‘students of color,’ Perry wrote on Tuesday in a letter to the school’s Principal Winston Tucker (pictured)

A spokesperson for St. Paul Public Schools, Erica Wacker, said on Thursday that the district takes care to follow its anti-discrimination policy

‘St Paul Public Schools values our partnerships with community organizations like the BrandLab and he opportunities they provide for our students. The district remains committed to providing post-secondary and career-related opportunities to all of our students to pursue their passions,’ spokesperson Wacker said

Now the trip has been canceled, ‘the basis for a Title VI complaint no longer exists,’ he added. 

A spokesperson for St. Paul Public Schools, Erica Wacker, told DailyMail.com that the district takes care to follow its anti-discrimination policy. 

For example, she said, National African American Parent Involvement Day is ‘designed for a specific group of people, but it’s open to anyone.’ 

Wacker told the outlet that typically mistakes are made when an outside partner is involved. 

The school districts own policy against discrimination states: ‘Saint Paul Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, sex, marital status, national origin, age, color, religion, ancestry, status with regard to public assistance, sexual or affectional orientation, familial status, or disability. Saint Paul Public Schools also makes reasonable accommodation to the known disabilities of qualified disabled individuals.’

‘This policy applies to all areas of education, employment, and programs and services operated by the school district.’ 

BrandLab, the organizing agency for the field trip, said in a statement to the Star Tribune that it is ‘committed to inclusivity in marketing and advertising, truly representing the world we live in.’ 

‘One of our programs provides exposure opportunities for high school students to learn more about the advertising and marketing professions through field trips to local agencies and businesses. We were working with Highland Park High School to find 11th and 12th grade students interested in attending a field trip on Thursday, February 27,’ it added.  

The organization’s CEO Kelli Williams also said it’s working with the high school to set up a new date for the trip by the end of the year, the outlet reported. 

‘St Paul Public Schools values our partnerships with community organizations like the BrandLab and the opportunities they provide for our students. The district remains committed to providing post-secondary and career-related opportunities to all of our students to pursue their passions,’ Wacker added. 

DailyMail.com reached out to Highland Park High School, St Paul Public School District, and BrandLab but did not immediately hear back. 

Perry added he hoped the incident would be a ‘teachable moment’ for the school.