(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump’s administration is investigating the Green Bay Area Public School District over a complaint of racial discrimination against a dyslexic student.
The investigation will also look into whether or not the school district delayed the student’s special education evaluation.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty filed the complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights on behalf of the complainant Colbey Decker, a mom from Green Bay whose dyslexic son was denied reading resources because he is white, according to OCR’s notice of investigation.
“It is heartbreaking to think that, in America, a school would consider whether to provide services to a disabled student based not on that student’s needs, but on the color of his skin,” WILL education counsel Cory Brewer said in a statement. “This is not only unlawful, it is an affront to the character of the American people. We appreciate the Department of Education taking this important step today.”
The statement by WILL said the school district admitted practices of racial preferences through its “School Success Plan” in a message conveyed directly to Decker by a school principal during an in-person meeting.
King Elementary’s School Success Plan, which has been since removed from the school’s website, shows policies prioritizing access to support and resources to certain groups, including First Nations, Black and Hispanic students.
According to WILL, Decker’s son was diagnosed with dyslexia in 2022 and she has been seeking support from the school since he enrolled in January 2024.
Throughout 2024, Decker “repeatedly” provided documentation and made formal requests for one-on-one reading interventions. Even in April 2024 when he was placed on a waitlist for reading intervention in a less intensive program, his needs required more support.
After WILL sent a Dec. 9 letter to district Superintendent Vicki Bayer, the school requested a meeting with Decker and WILL attorneys. According to WILL’s statement, in the meeting a school official asked her to identify specific students who were treated more favorably than her son based on race.
WILL argues the questioning was unfair because she only had access to documentation for her son and information about his experience, but not district data.
“This isn’t the first time in our nation where we have seen liberal ideology prevent students from receiving the services they need,” Rep. Joy Goeben, R-Hobart, the vice-chair of the Assembly Committee on Education, told The Center Square. “I am grateful for organizations such as WILL who stand up for students and their families in the face of injustice.”
Goeben stated she will continue to monitor the investigation as it moves through the judicial process.
