Case Name:
Decker v. GBASD
Case Status:
Open CaseThe U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights opened an investigation into the Green Bay Area School District.
Case Background
Mrs. Decker’s son was diagnosed with dyslexia in 2022, and they have sought support from the school since he enrolled in January 2024. Throughout 2024, Mrs. Decker repeatedly provided documentation and made formal requests for one-on-one reading interventions. In April 2024, Mrs. Decker’s son was placed on a waitlist for reading intervention, albeit for a less intensive program, even though his needs clearly required more support.
After WILL sent a letter to the district on behalf of its client, the school requested a meeting with her and WILL attorneys. In that meeting, a school official unfairly interrogated Mrs. Decker, demanding that she identify specific students who were treated more favorably based on race. Such aggressive questioning was unfair, especially because she only has access to documentation for her son and information about his experience, but not district data. To date, no one at GBAPS has denied that they discriminate against students based on race or taken down their websites admitting as much.
Case Documents
Complaint, Filed January 2025
OCR Notice of Investigation, May 2025
Meet the Client
Meet Colbey Decker, a Wisconsin mom fighting for equal treatment for her son.
Mrs. Decker’s son was diagnosed with dyslexia in 2022, and they have sought support from the school ever since he enrolled in January 2024. Throughout 2024, Mrs. Decker repeatedly provided documentation and made formal requests for one-on-one reading interventions. In April 2024, Mrs. Decker’s son was placed on a wait list for reading intervention, albeit for a less intensive program, even though his needs clearly required more support. Despite this, the school has denied her son the extra resources he needs. Every day that goes by, Ms. Decker's son loses time in his critical development that he cannot get back.
