The O’Keefe Media Group released undercover video of Jonathan Ferrer, the HR Director for Summit Public Schools, a charter network operating in California and Washington, admitting to race-based hiring.
Ferrer admitted to violating Title VII, California FEHA (prohibits discrimination) and school policy.
“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,” Ferrer told the undercover OMG reporter.
“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 told the undercover journalist.
“We have one trans teacher in our district, and, so, I think it’s just culturally, we just naturally look for those folks,” he said.
When asked if Summit Public Schools would ever hire a Trump supporter, Ferrer said, “I don’t think we would hire them.”
“We do have DEI questions built into our selection process,” Ferrer said. “We have a rubric… if they say any of these things, this is not someone who’s answering the question the way we’re aligned to answer the question.”
WATCH:
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”
“Whenever there’s a qualified candidate… pic.twitter.com/ZIOCtpcgjQ
— James O’Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) April 17, 2025
“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,” Valeria Torres, Government Affairs Manager for Summit Public Schools said in a statement to OMG.
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… https://t.co/3s2ffZ7nEI pic.twitter.com/37rCNJrnTr
— James O’Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) April 17, 2025
