Minnesota High School Has Separate ‘Student Council’ For ‘Indigenous’ Students

 A parental rights organization has filed a civil rights complaint against a Minnesota high school because the school has a student council exclusively for “Indigenous” students.

The complaint against the Minneapolis-area school, filed by Parents Defending Education with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, alleges that Burnsville High School is violating federal civil rights laws through a student council that is only open to American Indian/Alaska Native students.

“PDE makes this complaint as an interested third-party organization with members who are parents of school children throughout the country. PDE and its members oppose discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, and political indoctrination in America’s schools. Burnsville High School is offering programming to affinity groups that is not open to all students,” a copy of the complaint obtained by The Daily Wire says.

The club is listed on the school’s website alongside other clubs like the Black Student Union, the Muslim Student Association, and the Gender Sexuality Alliance.

“Unlike the other six affinity groups identified in the exhibits, the Indigenous Student Council (ISC) is the only group that explicitly states it is not open to the entire student body,” the complaint says. “Accordingly, we ask that the Department promptly investigate the allegations in this complaint, act swiftly to remedy unlawful policies and practices, and order appropriate relief.”

The complaint claims that the club violates the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which says federal funding cannot go toward racially discriminatory programming.

The Daily Wire reached out to the high school for further clarification on the nature of the council and response to the complaint.

 

Caroline Moore, the vice president of Parents Defending Education, said the student council was “unabashedly unconstitutional.”

“Burnsville High School has two student councils,” Moore told The Daily Wire. “One that everyone can participate in, and another that only allows Native American students. If students cannot coexist in something as simple serving as leaders for their graduation class, where does this madness end?”

“If Minneapolis and its suburbs are any indication of where race relations in this country are going, I want no part of it. This is unabashedly unconstitutional and the DOE should conduct a thorough investigation of racial discrimination in this district immediately,” she added.

Schools across the country have faced backlash from parents who want teachers to focus on academic achievement as opposed to focusing on racial and sexual identity.