Minneapolis' back-to-school supply giveaway for 'American Indian students ONLY,' professor files civil rights complaint

A Minnesota school district has come under fire for providing a school supply giveaway only for Native American students. A civil rights complaint has been filed, alleging discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin. 

Facebook posts from the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) American Indian Education Department have promoted the August 24th and 25th event, in which the “2026-27 School Year Distribution of Backpacks & School Supplies” will take place. The event is listed as being for “MPS American Indian Students ONLY.” The American Indian Education Department is led by Director Jennifer Simon.

A note for those seeking to participate states that “ALL students must be enrolled in MPS & have a completed Federal 506 form and/or tribal affiliation identification form on file.”  

The civil rights complaint, filed with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), states, “In violation of Title VI, the MPS Event illegally excludes certain students based on their race and ethnicity, including students who are Asian, Black, White, and Hispanic,” per Alpha News. 

“Please investigate MPS for illegal discrimination in violation of Title VI. As complainant, the remedies I am seeking might include OCR requiring MPS to either (1) cancel the Event or (2) open the Event to all MPS students regardless of their race, ethnicity, color, or national origin.”

The complaint was filed by University of Michigan Professor Emeritus Mark Perry, who explained his decision to file the complaint in a letter to the MPS school board and leadership. He wrote, “As you should be aware, there are no ‘if you have good intentions’ exceptions to Title VI, and segregated programs based on race and ethnicity are illegal even if they allegedly advantage the ‘right’ race for the ‘right’ reasons.” Perry has filed around a thousand civil rights complaints against schools. 

“Just as it would be illegal for MPS to host an event that excludes MPS American Indian students, it is equally illegal and objectionable for you to offer a segregated program exclusively for MPS American Indian students that excludes all other MPS students of all races and ethnicities,” he continued. “Title VI isn’t optional, and compliance isn’t voluntary—it’s legally mandated for recipients of federal funds like MPS.”

He demanded that MPS either open up the giveaway to all students, or cancel the event altogether. “Self-correction of your Title VI violation would allow me to withdraw my complaint at OCR, and I would be happy to do so,” he wrote. 

MPS provided Alpha News with an FAQ page on the federal recognition of tribes when asked for comment, saying that based on that information, “there are different considerations for American Indian students.”

“In collaboration with our partners, the district facilitates several supply giveaways that are open to all MPS students,” the district added. The outlet said it was unable to locate any other publicly advertised, districtwide school-supply giveaways open to all students for the 2026-27 school year.