PAW PAW, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The U.S. Department of Education for Civil Rights is launching a formal investigation into an ongoing complaint about a Southwest Michigan school district.
Nearly a year ago, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan filed a complaint against Paw Paw Public Schools, claiming a “racially hostile environment” exists in the district.
The ACLU adds that the complaint is more than just the districts ongoing controversy with their Redskins mascot, but more about the hostile acts such as name calling, physical aggression, and other incidents targeting racial, religious, and ethnic groups
ACLU Attorney Mark Fancher claims they have obtained reports of several incidents in the high school including bullying and harassment and not just to Native American students.
The investigation will determine if this is true and if the district’s practices violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. If so, they could lose federal funding.
In 2018 the ACLU also urged the Walmart in Paw Paw to end the sale of sports wear and other items bearing the Redskins logo, calling the mascot an “offensive racial slur.” The local Walmart temporarily removed the merchandise because of a complaint.
In 2017, the Paw Paw School Board also voted to reinstate the Redskins mascot at all schools in the district and said they would not address the matter again “until a single tax dollar is withheld.”
It’s a debate that is ongoing in Paw Paw. Even a billboard paid for by the Michigan Coalition against Racism in Sports and Media was put up along I-94 about a year ago, defining Redskins as a disparaging and offensive racial slur.
