# Defending Education Files Federal Complaint Over Colorado District's 'Educators of Color Declaration' With Its Teachers' Union

The group says Cherry Creek's 2023 pledge to recruit and advance teachers of color amounts to race-based hiring. The district did not comment, and the Education Department says it does not confirm complaints.

- Section: [Culture](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/culture/)
- Published: 2026-10-27
- By: RightNewsRightNow Staff
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/articles/cherry-creek-colorado-educators-of-color-declaration-defending-education-title-vi-complaint-fox-news/

A conservative-leaning education group has asked the federal government to investigate one of Colorado's largest school districts over a race-conscious hiring pledge, Fox News reports in a story it says it obtained first.

The complaint. Defending Education filed a civil rights complaint Monday with the U.S. Department of Education against the Cherry Creek School District, Colorado's fourth largest, serving 52,000 students in the southeast Denver area. It targets the district's June 2023 "Educators of Color Declaration," signed with its teachers' union, which commits both sides to recruiting, retaining and advancing educators of color.

What the group says. Sarah Parshall Perry, the group's vice president and senior legal fellow, said the district "has written racial preferences directly into its teachers' contract" and that other equally qualified teachers are "passed over for the same reason." She cited Title VI, the 14th Amendment and the Supreme Court's Students for Fair Admissions ruling, and said a district that takes federal money "cannot run a racial balancing scheme for its own workforce."

What the document also says. Fox notes a separate provision in the same agreement calls for recruitment, hiring and advancement based on qualifications without regard to race. Fox also notes Title VI covers federally funded programs under specified conditions, while Title VII more directly governs employment discrimination, so how the law applies depends on how the policy is carried out.

The wider picture. The Education Department announced a separate investigation of the district on June 8 into allegations of racially discriminatory programs involving students, teachers and parents. Fox says the Trump administration has been pushing against DEI across education, including a September proposal to revoke the tax-exempt status of private schools and colleges that consider race in admissions or scholarships.

Note for readers: this is an allegation from an advocacy group, not a finding. The district did not respond to Fox on Monday. An Education Department spokesperson said the department does not confirm complaints.

## Source

Original reporting: [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/major-school-district-pledge-teachers-union-sparks-racial-discrimination-complaint)