Watchdog groups file complaint alleging charter school grants favoring minorities are discriminatory

Defending Education and Do No Harm, two watchdog groups, filed a federal civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education on Thursday, arguing that Oregon policies discriminate on the basis of race. 

The complaint centers on policies that tie charter-school grant eligibility to a 65% "minority or disadvantaged" enrollment threshold, which the groups describe as a "racial quota." These policies provide taxpayer funding to universities based on a certain number of minority graduates. 

The complaint argues that these practices violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause by explicitly factoring race into funding decisions. 

The complaint asks the Education Department to open a civil rights investigation into the policies and resolve any Title VI violations it finds.