(ProsperNews.net) – White teachers in New York have won a racial discrimination case against the Department of Education. Three teachers, who claimed they were demoted in favor of less qualified non-white colleagues, filed a suit against the Department five years ago and were awarded $700,000 each when a judge agreed that they had been victims of “race-based discrimination.”
Lois Herrera, Jaye Murray, and Laura Feijoo argued that former New York City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza was on a mission to “tackle toxic whiteness,” and that led to discriminatory acts against staff.
Laura Feijoo, responsible for supervising Department of Education superintendents, filed the suit after being demoted and replaced by Cheryl Watson-Harris, who did not have the necessary licenses to carry out the role but was placed in the position because she was black.
Lois Herrera described her demotion from the CEO post of the Office of Safety and Youth Development, saying Carranza gave the job to black man Mark Rampersant, whose only qualification was a GED, whereas she had a Harvard Master’s degree.
In Jaye Murray’s case, she explained that she had endured several demotions and was ordered to report to Mr. Rampersant.
The claimants furthermore alleged that officials selected their replacements with a “tap on the shoulder” rather than through an interview or qualification review process.
Davida Perry, attorney for the claimants, described the ruling as a “landmark,” saying it confirmed that discrimination is not permitted in education, regardless of the race of the person discriminated against.
Ursulina Ramirez, the Department of Education’s chief operating officer at the time of the demotions, said then-Mayor Bill DeBlasio appointed Carranza in 2018 because he was “fixated on diversity.” Carranza was previously the head of the Independent School District in Houston, Texas, overseeing the education of around 210,000 pupils.
When appointed to the New York position, Carranza immediately emphasized his intentions to move away from academic testing and focus on decreasing racial achievement gaps, helping immigrants, and increasing support for LGBTQ rights.
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