Conservative group files federal civil rights complaint against East Bay school district

An Oakland Unified program offering mentorship and academic support to Latino male teenagers is the latest target of a conservative national parental rights group that has filed multiple complaints which led to civil rights investigations at schools across the country.

The nonprofit Defending Education alleges in its Office of Civil Rights complaint to the Department of Education that the district has discriminated against white students and female students over the past decade with its “Latino Men and Boys” program, which seeks to increase high school graduation rates and career options for Latino male students aged 12-18 by connecting them with positive male role models and promoting healthy lifestyles. The program also aims to improve students’ attendance, academic engagement, behavior and overall health and well-being.

The group says that the program is discriminatory because Oakland Unified “does not offer any other similar support program for white OUSD students.”

“Because the program denies these benefits to white students, it discriminates against these students on the basis of race,” the complaint said.

Oakland Unified School District did not respond to a request for comment from this news organization.

A New York Times investigation in June found that Defending Education was one of a group of conservative nonprofits — many of which have ties to the Trump administration — which have filed dozens of similar discrimination complaints.

The Trump administration has opened dozens of investigations into California universities and schools, including two investigations into the California Department of Education.

In January of 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schools” which ordered his administration to eliminate federal funding for school programs and policies related to “gender ideology” and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

His administration also later launched an “End DEI” portal and warned K-12 schools and colleges that they would have to dismantle diversity programs or risk losing federal funding, although a federal court later enjoined the Department from enforcing either of those actions.

Last summer, Trump froze nearly $1 billion in federal education funding for California schools for over a month from programs supporting migrant children and English learners, among other education programs, for allegedly promoting a “left wing” agenda. His administration reversed course amid growing outrage and concern about the impacts to students across the nation.

The “Latino Men and Boys” program is run in partnership with the The Unity Council — a nonprofit based in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood that aims to improve the predominantly Latino community’s quality of life through affordable housing, early childhood education and community programs.

The Unity Council also runs a “Latinx Mentoring and Achievement” program in three Oakland Schools, which Defending Education alleges also discriminates based on gender because it is only offered to women.

But according to The Unity Council, the organization expanded the Latino Men and Boys program to include female-identified youth and non-binary youth in 2019. The Latinx Mentoring and Achievement program’s curriculum teaches students to challenge gender roles and stereotypes, participate in career exploration opportunities and strengthens students’ relationship with their community, according to the organization.

“These schools are struggling with low achievement and behavioral outcomes, among female and non-binary students, many of whom face significant language and communication barriers,” said a 2024 service agreement between Oakland Unified and the The Unity Council for support at Skyline High School, Fremont High School and Madison Park Academy. “Both school administrators and OUSD personnel have identified urgent needs related to low attendance, rising instances of harassment and safety concerns at these schools.”

The agreement also increased a previous funding agreement from the organization from $150,000 to $430,064 for the 2024-25 school year to support the Latinx Mentoring and Achievement program.

The complaint also alleges that other Oakland Unified programs, including a preschool program for boys of color aged 3 to 5, mentorship and guidance to Latinx young women at an Oakland school and mentoring sessions for Latinx women struggling with toxic relationships and engagement with school discriminate against students based on race because they unlawfully exclude other students and similar programs are not offered to white students.

“OUSD should respect its students’ rights and cease to discriminate between them based on their race,” the complaint concludes. For these reasons, Defending Education respectfully asks OCR to open a civil rights investigation into Oakland Unified School District.”