BOSTON — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Massachusetts), published as received.
BOSTON – United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz announced today that the Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts is launching an independent investigation of alleged civil rights violations at Boston Latin School (BLS).
On Feb. 26, 2016, eight civil rights organizations and community members, including the ACLU of Massachusetts, the Boston Branch of the NAACP, and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice, submitted a joint written complaint to the U.S. Attorney’s Office that raised concerns about racial harassment and discrimination, among other things, at BLS.
“We will conduct a thorough investigation into the recent complaints about racism at BLS and will go where the facts lead us. Once our investigation is complete, we will share our findings at the appropriate time,” said U.S. Attorney Ortiz. “I want to thank Mayor Walsh and Superintendent Chang who have pledged their full cooperation in this independent investigation.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is authorized to investigate the allegations of racism at BLS under Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, and religion in public schools and colleges/universities.
The Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office was established in 2015 with the mission of enhancing federal civil rights enforcement. For more information on the Office’s civil rights efforts, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-ma/civil-rights.
