I was dismayed to read the letter from the Park City School District superintendent and the associated statement about the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) Resolution Agreement dated March 20.
My daughter is 14. She’s been in the Park City school district her entire life. When reports of persistent racist and bigoted behavior in Park City schools started to surface, I joined many parents in a search for answers to some fundamental questions.
Instead of answers, we were told that the complaints were isolated and not persistent and that the OCR would quickly determine as much. When it became clear that the Office of Civil Rights investigation was not going away, we were told to trust the process.
Now we receive this communication that the investigation has resulted in a resolution agreement: “The agreement details specific steps the District will take to strengthen its procedures, training, and practices for investigation and resolving allegations of any racial harassment and discrimination.”
The ambiguity in this communication is woefully inadequate. The school district needs to understand that they lack credibility with parents precisely because of this type of uncontextualized response.
Park City School District is being investigated by the federal Office of Civil Rights for persistent and ongoing violations. It’s a very big deal that has a lot of our community on edge. This moment should compel leadership from our district leaders. Absent leadership, or in service of it, they should shine some sunlight. Be transparent and vulnerable. Communicate.
Sadly, we have none of that. Instead, parents are left with the same fundamental questions.
- Are children in danger?
- How can parents and the community be an engaged part of the solutions?
- Where is the voice of the teachers who, we now know, also lack confidence in the administration’s handling of these issues?
- The district is required to achieve compliance on or before June 2026. What does that mean for the next two years? Are we to assume that the school district is not currently equipped to handle racist and bigoted harassment?
I hope our school leaders answer these questions and more with clarity and transparency.
Scott van Hartesvelt
Park City