The Wake County school system is now facing the threat of another federal civil rights complaint.

In this letter sent today to Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata, the Southern Poverty Law Center and Advocates for Children’s Services charge that the school system is violating the civil rights of students with Spanish-speaking parents by only sending them important notices in English. The letter cites examples of three limited English proficient parents not getting information in Spanish about their children’s long-term suspension notices and special-education services.

The groups contend that failure to provide the parents of these Hispanic students the information in their primary language violates Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act. The groups charge that Wake “has a clear legal duty” to provide documents on suspensions and special education in Spanish to Spanish-speaking parents.

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST FOR WAKE'S RESPONSE

The Wake County school system didn't come out looking too well in new data released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.

The data from the 2009-10 school year indicated that Wake's white students accounted for 57 percent of the population and received 25 percent of suspensions, while blacks make up 24 percent of the student body and received 57 percent of suspensions. It's been noted in several media reports, including this article in The Christian Science Monitor.

It was one example of how the feds say that minority students across America face harsher discipline, have less access to rigorous high school curricula and are more often taught by lower-paid and less experienced teachers.

As you guys may have seen in today's article by Martha Quillin and Amanda James, the YWCA of the Greater Triangle abruptly closed Wednesday because of budget woes.

The YWCA was known for various social service programs. But those involved in the Wake County school diversity fight also know the group as having played an active role in that issue in the past two years.

The YWCA was involved with groups such as N.C. HEAT and the Wake Youth Organizing Institute. It sponsored marches protesting the end of the diversity policy. It worked with federal investigators probing the school system.

The YWCA criticized the single-sex leadership academies. It honored Yevonne Brannon.

Thursday night's community mass meeting at Martin Street Baptist Church dealt with the new Wake County student assignment plan, getting mediation for the school board protesters and assailing the conditions at Walnut Creek Elementary School.

As noted in today's article, most the focus of the meeting led by the state NAACP and the Great Schools in Wake Coalition was on complaints about the assignment plan. The crowd of around 50 people, mainly supporters of the old diversity policy, were urged to contact school leaders to change the plan.

"If you let the plane fly in the air and you don’t make those course corrections that you feel need to be made in order to make it a more successful plan for all students so we have a fair and diverse and well-funded education for all students, then shame on us if we don’t advocate for the changes to make it happen," said Patty Williams of Great Schools in Wake.

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST

Longtime Wake County school board attorney Ann Majestic is the focus of a front-page article in last week's issue of North Carolina Lawyers Weekly.

The profile details how Majestic started a legal career that will lead to her in April receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National School Boards Association Council of School Attorneys.

Much of the article focuses on Majestic's work in Wake, including her successful efforts to win over the initially suspicious Republican board majority in 2009. The article also talks about her personal views on the role of socioeconomic diversity in student assignment.

The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education jointly released guidance today telling K-12 school districts and universities they can use race to achieve diversity.

According to the joint press release, the guidance "makes clear that educators may permissibly consider the race of students in carefully constructed plans to promote diversity or, in K-12 education, to reduce racial isolation."

“Diverse learning environments promote development of analytical skills, dismantle stereotypes, and prepare students to succeed in an increasingly interconnected world,” said Attorney General Eric Holder in the press release.  “The guidance announced today will aid educational institutions in their efforts to provide true equality of opportunity and fully realize the promise of Brown v. Board of Education.”

The Rev. William Barber, president of the state NAACP, is calling tonight's Wake County school board election results "a major step forward on the Highway of Justice and Love."

In a press release this evening, Barber said that "once again, children of all colors, we pray, can feel welcome in their schools and at their School Board."  

"Once again, Blacks, Whites, Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, old and young, rich and poor, Republicans and Democrats have all said, 'We want to go forward and not backwards,'" Barber says in the press release.

Was U.S. Education Arne Duncan trying to influence voters to back Wake County school board member Kevin Hill in the runoff election?

As noted in today's article by Jane Stancill, Duncan called the Oct. 11 election results "very positive" and said he's watching the runoff "very closely." He also said the elections "maybe an opportunity to move in a more positive direction."

The fact that Duncan promoted results that could lead to Democrats regaining the board majority prompted Republican board vice chairman John Tedesco to say that the secretary's visit to Raleigh was no coincidence.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is calling the recent Wake County school board election results that could put Democrats back in control "very positive" and saying he's "very, very closely" watching the runoff election.

Duncan was in Raleigh today to tout President Barack Obama's jobs bill. While at a press conference at Wake Tech, Duncan was asked about Wake's newly adopted student assignment plan.

"I don't know the details of the plan," Duncan said. "I do know that there was a recent school board election in Wake County. It was very positive. I know, I think there's one more seat up in a runoff and it's something I'm watching very, very closely.

The state NAACP is calling on the Wake County school board to delay Tuesday's vote on the new student assignment plan until at least after next month's runoff election.

In an open letter sent late Monday evening, the Rev. William Barber, president of the state NAACP, argues that the vote shouldn't be held while the results of the school board election and investigations by the U.S. Department of Education and AdvancED are still unknown. The group also argues that last week's public hearing at Broughton High School is insufficient.

"Only one public hearing has been held, and a decision of this magnitude should have more," Barber writes. "The results of the election and two investigations are unknown, and the plan could be changed within a few months, wasting the school system's time and resources."