Several Minneapolis public high schools are facing scrutiny for creating racially exclusive courses that ban white and Asian students, according to district documents. The segregated classes scandal, centers on “BLACK Culture – Building Lives Acquiring Cultural Knowledge,” courses open only to black male or female students. These classes fulfill elective requirements necessary for graduation, limiting other students’ access to available coursework.
South High School, the city’s oldest and largest public school, lists the courses in its 2025–2026 guide as available only to “All black male students” and “All black female students.” Roosevelt, Edison, and North high schools also offer similar programs. The courses, created through the Office of Black Student Achievement, claim to explore the “lived reality of black men in the United States” and “build a sisterhood” among black girls.
Civil rights experts say the racially restricted courses almost certainly violate federal law. “It is extremely hard to imagine how this could possibly be legal under either Title VI or Title IX,” said Dan Morenoff, executive director of the American Civil Rights Project. Attorney Jason Torchinsky added, “Clearly allowing a governmental program that is only open to individuals of a particular race is a problem under the U.S. Constitution and U.S. civil rights laws.”
The Washington Free Beacon reported that the Minneapolis Public Schools district, which received roughly $250 million in federal pandemic relief, has not commented. Despite low test scores—just 36 percent of students proficient in math—the district continues to fund the Office of Black Student Achievement with an annual budget exceeding $2 million.
