The O’Keefe Media Group has once again uncovered controversial practices, this time revealing comments from Jonathan Ferrer, HR Director for Summit Public Schools. In an undercover video, Ferrer admitted to engaging in race-based hiring, a move that raises serious questions about the charter network’s hiring policies in California and Washington.
In the video, Ferrer openly states, “You get presented with, on equal merits, like a white person or a black person or whatever. Yeah, we’re going with the black person.” He further elaborated on the practice, saying, “Whenever there’s a qualified candidate and they happen to identify differently or present differently, we’re probably going with that person… That’s what DEI is all about.”
Ferrer mentioned that they already have one transgender teacher in the district, emphasizing the cultural inclination to seek diversity. When questioned about the potential employment of Trump supporters, Ferrer candidly replied, “I don’t think we would hire them.” He added, “We do have DEI questions built into our selection process,” mentioning a rubric designed to filter candidates based on alignment with the school’s DEI values.
“EXCLUSIVE: Summit Public Schools HR Director Confesses to Violating Title VII, California FEHA, and School Policy: ‘We’re Going With the Black Person… NO MATTER WHAT’ in Race-Based Hiring; Admits, ‘I Don’t Think We Would Hire MAGA People’”
— James O’Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII)
April 17, 2025
In response to these revelations, Valeria Torres, Government Affairs Manager for Summit Public Schools, issued a statement to OMG. She stressed, “At Summit Public Schools, we’re committed to being an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to maintaining a team that is free from discriminatory conduct in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws. We expect each and every employee, including our Human Resources team, to uphold our commitment. Any allegations of discriminatory conduct or verified misconduct are taken seriously and addressed through established internal procedures.”
“UPDATE: OMG has received a statement from Valeria Torres, Government Affairs Manager for Summit Public Schools, regarding Director of Human Resources Jonathan Ferrer’s comments: ‘At Summit Public Schools, we’re committed to being an equal opportunity employer. We are committed…’”
— James O’Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII)
April 17, 2025
