This story was updated Monday, Nov. 20.
The Maize school district is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for possible discrimination involving antisemitism or Islamophobia.
The Education Department released a list on Thursday of seven K-12 and higher education institutions being investigated under the Civil Rights Act. Maize is a district of about 8,000 students, just west of Wichita.
In its announcement, the department said five complaints involve alleged antisemitic harassment and two involve anti-Muslim harassment. The department did not provide details about the Maize investigation.
Maize officials said in an emailed statement Saturday that federal officials have asked for information about an incident last March at Maize South Intermediate School, which serves fifth and sixth-grade students.
In a statement Thursday, district spokeswoman Lori Buselt said the district got an email from the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights at 6:38 p.m. Thursday, but the district did not get a copy of the complaint.
“Maize USD 266 takes allegations of discrimination seriously and is committed to cooperating fully with any investigation,” Buselt said in the statement. “The school district is dedicated to providing a place for teaching and learning that prioritizes and champions respect and inclusivity and where all students and employees feel safe and valued.”
The U.S. Education Department said investigations were launched to address the “alarming nationwide rise in reports of antisemitism, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and other forms of discrimination and harassment" in U.S. schools and colleges sparked by the deadly Oct. 7 attack in Israel by the militant group Hamas and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
"Hate has no place in our schools, period," Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in the department's announcement. "When students are targeted because they are — or are perceived to be — Jewish, Muslim, Arab, Sikh, or any other ethnicity or shared ancestry, schools must act to ensure safe and inclusive educational environments where everyone is free to learn."
According to the Education Department, the other schools being investigated include Cornell University and Columbia University in New York; Lafayette College in Pennsylvania; the University of Pennsylvania; Wellesley College in Massachusetts, and the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, a private college in New York City.
Schools could not be reached for comment Thursday evening. But several have condemned discrimination after incidents had been reported on campus.
The investigations were launched under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits race, color, or national origin discrimination, including harassment based on a person's shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics. All colleges, universities and K-12 schools receiving federal funds must comply with Title VI or risk losing that funding.
The social tensions across the U.S. have spilled onto the country's campuses, with colleges coming under increasing pressure to curb antisemitism and Islamophobia. In late October, federal prosecutors filed charges against a 21-year-old student at Cornell University for allegedly posting online violent threats against Jewish students.
Suzanne Perez of KMUW contributed to this story.