Behind closed doors: Leaked memos reveal how Durango 9-R Schools avoided a DEI lawsuit—until now
By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice
Durango School District 9-R changed its hiring policy this spring without a public announcement—but the move didn’t go unnoticed.
According to a new federal civil rights complaint filed by Mountain States Legal Foundation (MSLF) and authored by its general counsel, William Trachman, the district had for years pushed a race-conscious hiring agenda, encouraged by internal equity committees and shielded by carefully worded legal guidance.
Now, MSLF says those practices violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act—and that scrubbing the language in 2025 wasn’t enough to undo the damage.
This filing is one of three separate federal complaints MSLF has submitted since late June. The others challenge a district policy that endorses race-based ...


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