Conservative group Defense of Freedom Institute (DFI) has filed a federal civil rights complaint with the Office for Civil Rights against the City Schools of Decatur, alleging that the district’s policies violated Title IX and Title VI.
The complaint, filed on June 24 as first reported by Decaturish, claims the district violates federal civil rights by requiring its schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms and compete on sports teams aligning with their gender identity; “indoctrinat[ing] students in the belief that ‘whiteness’ is inherently problematic; promoting resources that “attack Jews in Israel as ‘settler-colonialists’; and making hiring and resource distribution decisions based on race.
According to DFI, these alleged practices discriminate on the basis of sex and race, thus violating Title IX and Title VI.
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“City Schools of Decatur cannot sacrifice the civil rights of its students, parents, and teachers in service of noxious ideology,” Paul Zimmerman, DFI’s senior policy and regulatory counsel, who authored the complaint and report, said in a statement. “Altering, renaming, and concealing from the public one’s discriminatory mission and resources does nothing to relieve a school district of its self-evident obligation not to treat students differently or demean them on the basis of their race, shared ancestry, or sex. OCR should investigate this district and make clear that complying with Title IX and Title VI is not optional.”
A CSD spokesperson told Rough Draft that while DFI filed this complaint with the Office for Civil Rights, a formal complaint was not made with the district itself. The spokesperson said the district takes the concerns seriously and will investigate if an official complaint is received.
DFI is a conservative non-profit focused on education policy, workplace civil rights, and challenging DEI initiatives in schools.
This complaint is the latest attack on DEI initiatives perpetuated by conservative leaders nationwide. In 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order terminating all activities relating to “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility” in federally funded schools and agencies. Universities across Atlanta like Kennesaw State, Emory, and Georgia Tech have shuttered their DEI offices following the order.
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