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The chairman of the Utah Republican Party joined the state NAACP leader and a prominent Latino advocate Tuesday in criticizing Salt Lake City schools for taking what they characterized as a misstep for civil rights.

The trio spoke against recent changes in district administration at the school board's Tuesday evening meeting. But the district's outgoing leader said their perspectives are misinformed.

Last week's reassignment for the district's main equity and diversity officer, Utah GOP Chairman James Evans said, demonstrates that the treatment of minority and low-income students is not a priority for district officials.

"This issue needs to be embraced and addressed," Evans told the board as the first of three speakers, which included NAACP Salt Lake President Jeanetta Williams and Archie Archuleta, with Utah Coalition of La Raza.

As of last week, the district's main equity officer reports to a member of the superintendent's Cabinet, instead of working directly for the superintendent.

Evans, who previously served on an advisory panel over diversity in the district with a student body made up of about 60 percent minorities, says discussions among board members and others about treatment for minority children often hit "roadblocks."

"It's clear the board has been reluctant to embrace this issue around equity," said Evans, the first black elected leader of the state GOP, after the meeting. "That's my frustration."

But the discontent is unfounded, said former Superintendent McKell Withers, who retired from the district's top post Friday, after the change went into effect last month.

Figuring out how to best help Salt Lake City's underserved students, Withers said, has "always been a priority for me."

The administrative adjustment has no bearing on the district's commitment to diversity, Withers said. It relates to a personnel issue, he said. He echoed sentiments of board president Heather Bennett, who said privacy concerns prevented her from going into specifics.

"I can certainly say a complete and thorough investigation was done" into past decision-making by the district's diversity employee, Withers said, "and appropriate actions were taken. But the work of that department needs to continue and should get back on track."

At the meeting, new Superintendent Lexi Cunningham also declined to comment. In a recent interview, Cunningham stressed the importance of catering to all students, not just Utah-born or English-speaking children.

Board member Michael Clara, who has sparred with Withers over treatment of minority students, said he was dismayed the board was unaware of the changes, and he believed the decision "could have been handled a lot differently … so it's not as traumatic for everybody."

Williams, the NAACP leader, remained skeptical, saying the move aimed to dismantle the department.

"I respectfully demand the board take action to undo this injustice," she said, reading a letter aloud to board members.

With little information released to the public, she said after the meeting, the move "is kind of a back-door thing."

Archuleta, with the Utah Coalition of La Raza, agreed.

"We don't know what's going to happen," said Archuleta, who retired in 1987 after a 34-year career as a Salt Lake City educator. "It's just a worry. We weren't let in on the discussion."

Twitter: @anniebknox