Portland Public Schools faces federal lawsuit over racial equity policies

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The parent of a Portland Public Schools student is suing the district for allegedly engaging in racial discrimination.

As first reported by Willamette Week, the lawsuit was filed in federal court on Monday by a legal team that includes former Oregon Republican lawmaker Julie Parrish.

In the complaint, the parent alleges that the district violated the Fourteenth Amendment by considering race as a factor in hiring decisions. They point to the district’s “equity funding” program as well as the districtwide fundraising policy.

The district’s racial equity policy was established in 2011 in an effort to address longstanding issues of inequity, according to the PPS website.

The fundraising policy, which was adopted in 2024, combines donations into a districtwide account. According to the policy, it is intended to “foster a spirit of community and shared purpose and facilitate collective impact on behalf of PPS students.”

The most recent PPS budget explains that additional resources are allocated to elementary and middle schools based on socio-economic status and communities that are historically underserved.

The parent who filed the lawsuit, Richard Raseley, has an 8-year-old daughter who attends Glencoe Elementary, one of the schools that did not receive additional resources for the 2025-26 school year.

According to the lawsuit, racial discrimination extends to other areas of the district as well. In one example, the plaintiffs call out the collective bargaining agreement adopted in 2023, which requires teachers and administrators to consider the student’s trauma, race, gender identity, disability and more before disciplining them.

The lawsuit also argues the district’s fundraising policy, which was adopted in May 2024, would not have been adopted if not for “the perceived racial impact of the change in policy.”

Raseley argues that Glencoe, the school his daughter attends, is receiving less money and fewer staff than it did before the equity funding program was in place. He argues that his daughter and other students have suffered injury due to the policies, and is suing for injunctive relief.

PPS did not respond to multiple requests for comment.