Civil rights probe worries officials

Superintendent Candy Armstrong told the North Wasco County School District 21 board last week that the last time the district had such an investigation was in 2006, and many of the findings from that report were not rquired to be addressed and are still findings now.

In an email later to the Chronicle, Armstrong said, “We fixed everything that they required us to fix back in 2006. They noted the lack of accessibility, but we were not required to fix it because of the date the building was built.

“We only had to comply with the laws in effect when each part of the building was built. Any time you repair an old building you have to bring everything up to the current code.

“Even though we have not made improvements to the buildings that would require that, this time they seemed not to care. It will be interesting to see what they actually require us to do. I can only hope that the report will not turn out to be as bad as it sounded like it would be in the exit interview.”

Kurtz Gym, built in 1938, is not handicapped accessible. Armstrong recounted to the school board how investigators measured the width of a narrow, winding stairway at the gym, sided by thick concrete walls, noting it was not accessible.

When they got to the bottom of the stairway, Armstrong recounted, “They said, ‘And by the way, your bathrooms down here aren’t handicapped accessible.’ Well, no they aren’t, because it’s not handicapped accessible.”

She said, “The access piece is severe on this site, and we don’t really know what we can do to remedy the situation.”

She said there are some obvious areas showing gender preference. “The weight room has one dressing room in it, and that’s the male dressing room. It’s that kind of thing they’re looking for.”

She added, “I’m a little concerned this time. It doesn’t feel the same as in 2006. It doesn’t feel as friendly.”

She asked the inspectors what would happen if the district couldn’t or didn’t comply. They said, “‘Oh, you will, because if you don’t, you not only lose your federal funding, but your state funding.’”

She said the triggering data point – more boys enrolled in career classes than girls – was actually no longer an issue.

Principal Nick Nelson said a new culinary class has helped balance gender participation in career classes.

Some 200 students signed up for culinary classes this school year.

Board member Ernie Blatz wondered how the district could be held accountable for how many students choose courses that are elective and not mandatory.

“They make the call, they make the selection,” Blatz said.

Nelson said the district needs to be sensitive about how counselors and teachers talk to students about career classes, so they aren’t communicating any unintended bias.

“Even tone or inflection could be a trigger” for bias, he said.

Investigators looked at courses offered, whether bias existed, and whether kids were being encouraged to sign up for classes.

Because it was career training data that prompted the inspection, the site visit was limited to the high school level only, since that is where career training occurs.

Armstrong said the high school has a ratio of 70 percent boys to 30 percent girls taking career classes, but the opposite is the case with AP classes, where 70 percent are girls and 30 percent are boys.

She was impressed that some 200 students are slated to take AP exams in May, a significant increase.

Armstrong said the investigation was comprehensive. “They look at every table height, spaces between desks, it’s very, very intensive.”

The state audits a certain number of small, medium and large school districts every year, she said. D21 is a medium sized district.

She said draft findings will be given to the district and she will do some “back and forth” on non-compliant issues in terms of whether they can be taken care of right away, before a final report is issued.