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Superintendent says district certified compliance with Title VI; NCDPI added clarifying language
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Stover told trustees Catawba County Schools responded to a U.S. Department of Education certification request and stated the district does not discriminate in hiring; North Carolina Department of Public Instruction qualified the certification as limited to the state's legal obligations.
Superintendent Dr. Stover told the board that Catawba County Schools signed and returned a certification requested by the U.S. Department of Education related to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and other civil-rights obligations.
Stover said the district and the state verified compliance and that he signed the letter acknowledging the district is not discriminating in hiring practices. Board members asked whether the district had previously been required to sign such a certification; staff said this was the first time for the district. Trustees discussed whether the federal request represented a change in practice or a political action; Stover and staff said the district has followed the law.
A district staff member identified in the meeting as Crystal explained that the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) reviewed the request, certified that the state and local education agencies comply with Title VI, and added clarifying language limiting the assurance to the department’s current legal authority. Crystal said New York State had legally challenged the federal request and that NCDPI’s letter qualified the certification to avoid overbroad assertions beyond existing legal obligations.
Board members asked whether the certification requires changes to district practice; staff said at this time no changes are required. Trustees accepted the update; there was no formal vote required for the informational item.
