Webster Groves School District
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Updated – June 11, 2024
Webster Groves School District (WGSD) received a cease and desist letter from Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey who accused the district of practicing racial discrimination.
KSDK 5 News reported, “Missouri [AG] Andrew Bailey is accusing three area school districts of discriminatory practices. The allegations involve hiring, students’ clubs and gifted programs. Bailey sent cease and desist letters […] to Webster Groves [School District], Lindbergh [Schools] and Parkway [School Districts] … He claims his office has received reports of religious and race-based discrimination against students and staff.”
In his letter to Webster Groves, Bailey said:
“It has come to my attention that [WGSD] has instituted race-based criteria for its employees and applicants. According to the reports my office has received, the district adopted the goal to ‘attract, support and retain … staff who at a minimum reflect the diversity of our student population.’ If these reports are true, [WGSD] is discriminating on the basis of race in direct violation of both state and federal law.”
In response to the letter, a WGSD spokesperson told KSDK 5 the letter was “ridiculous” and denied discriminating against applicants based on race. A live report on the issue can be viewed below.
KSDK 5 mentioned a “diversity, equity, and inclusion report” dating back to 2017, in which the district “measured racial disparities in hiring.” The source published a screenshot of the findings. The district’s equity policy can be read here.
According to the district’s “Anti-Bias Anti-Racism” website, the district also passed a 2017 equity resolution that states, in part:
“WHEREAS, we strive to remove social, cultural and educational barriers that members of our district community may experience through learning, advocacy, and community partnerships.
“WHEREAS, we believe we must directly confront issues of bias and social injustice in order to eliminate the inequitable practices and unsafe environments these issues create for everyone.
“THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Webster Grove School District Board of Education on this date May 31, 2017, affirms its commitment to lead efforts to advance a culture of equity and justice leading to better lives for all, including but not limited to the elimination of disparities which exist across groups of children in this school district.”
The website also includes resources for “Bias Incident Reporting,” an “Equity in Action Committee,” and a link to a page called “Staff of Color.”
In 2021, Parents Defending Education (PDE) exposed WGSD’s “antiracism” training for certified staff members. In 2023, PDE published another article that stated:
“On May 18, 2023, [PDE] filed a federal civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education against [WGSD] … for discrimination on the basis of race and sex … [WGSD] is offering affinity programming that is only open for individuals who both identify as females and are students of color, but not open to all.”
In a district-wide memo entitled “Moving Toward Equity,” WGSD said:
“In order to change the pattern of better serving certain groups of children, we must disrupt traditional beliefs, systems, structures, and practices which favor those privileged by race, economics, gender, etc … Thus, in addition to the beliefs and values outlined in the Equity Resolution, we must hold true to our district vision which calls us to innovate and think and act differently.”
The undated memo goes on to include “[a]dditional Anti-Racism staff training” that began in the 2018-2019 school, as well as an “Equity Budget” of $20,000, and a “Data Usage” initiative aimed at “collecting and monitoring a variety of learning and participation data for African-American students for the purposes of supporting schools in their work with children and families.”
Below is a message from WGSD Superintendent Dr. John Simpson that dates back to 2021.
Please send tips, updates, and information for Webster Groves School District to [email protected].
Published – December 2, 2022
On June 8, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt launched an investigation into the Webster Groves School District (WGSD) over allegations that the district violated state and federal laws by administering student surveys without parental consent. In May, the Southeastern Legal Foundation (SLF) sent a letter to AG Schmitt stating:
“Parents in WGSD have a well-founded concern that the student surveys administered in their schools violate both state and federal law and respectfully ask that you investigate further. The parents allege the surveys were mandatory without their consent. … The surveys documented included questions about students’ gender identity, mental health, racial identity and political beliefs.”
Screenshots of the surveys were provided to Fox News:
AG Schmitt subpoenaed the district, “demanding” information on the decision to employ student surveys. He stated:
“As attorney general, I’ve made it my mission to work to empower parents and increase transparency in Missouri schools. Subjecting students to personal, invasive surveys created by third-party consultants potentially without parents’ consent is ridiculous and does nothing to further our children’s education.”
WGSD claims the federal laws cited by SLF, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), do not apply to their surveys:
“The requirements for student surveys under the PPRA apply only to programs partially or wholly funded by the U.S. Department of Education – the Act specifically limits the requirements to any program for which the Secretary of Education or the Department of Education “has administrative responsibility as provided by law.” None of the surveys cited by SLF were a part of any such program.”
Amid the ongoing investigation, WGSD sent a letter to parents at the beginning of the 2022 school year “explicitly outlining the surveys students will take this year and the opt-out option available.” The district also informed parents that they would be able to view the surveys prior to students taking them.
Kathy Hermann, a lawyer with the Southeastern Legal Foundation, responded to this news:
“We are very pleased that in response to our brave clients speaking up, requesting an investigation into illegal student surveys, and demanding the chance to opt their children out, that the Missouri Attorney General launched an investigation and the school district provided parents notice and opt-out details. This proves that parents can make a difference.”
Webster Groves School District has 4,409 students enrolled across nine schools.
