President Donald Trump has extended the deadline for state and school districts to April 24, certifying his compliance with an executive order banning DEI policies.
“Federal financial aid is a privilege, not a right, and when state education commissioners accept federal funds, they agree to comply with the federal anti-discrimination requirements,” Craig’s training aide said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, we found that too many schools have violated these obligations, including using the DEI program to discriminate against groups of Americans and supporting another group based on a clear violation of Title VI.”
So far, several states have signaled their intention to certify compliance or to do so, but Blue states like New York, Minnesota and Illinois this week informed their rebellion in the face of administration funding threats. Education Secretary Linda McMahon praised Puerto Rico in his X post.
Trump administrators warn the state to comply with residential prisoners through their biological sex or facial funding cutoffs.
President Donald Trump and Day’s Book (Getty Images)
“All states in states that want to continue federal funding should follow the lawsuit,” McMahon said Tuesday.
Minnesota Education Commissioner Willie Jett said on Monday that the threat of DEI-related funding “is at risk of students and schools being relied on every day without law or established requirements.”
The Illinois School Board has also issued a scathing response to the threat, saying the administration is “attempting to threaten funds again for Illinois children and exert power in all districts in the country.”
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“Illinois never wavers in its commitment to helping all children of all communities, backgrounds, socioeconomic status, gender and race, which is consistent with federal and state law and our values,” the board said in a statement.
Federal funds account for 16% of Chicago Public Schools’ budgets (over $1 billion) and the $6.4 billion statewide budget, according to a report on Thursday.
Linda McMahon testified at a confirmation hearing before the Senate committee on health, education, labor and pensions. (JackGruber/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Wisconsin has also thwarted Trump’s demands, and the state’s public leadership department issued a letter on Wednesday raising “some concerns” about the president’s accreditation requirements.
Benjamin Jones, a lawyer representing Wisconsin’s Department of Public Leadership, wrote that Wisconsin already had a “guaranteed for compliance with federal laws,” including “federal laws related to non-discrimination.”
He called Trump’s orders “illegal, illegal, unconstitutional and ambiguous.”
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“We’re deeply concerned about that [certification requirement] Federal officials can threaten critical educational funding losses in order to determine local educational institution policies and decisions about what’s best for your child,” the letter states.
But Trump has gained support from other Republican-led states, with some already calling for a more stringent ban on DEI initiatives at public universities. States such as West Virginia, Iowa, Indiana, Texas and Ohio are considering or presenting measures to limit DEI programs, training and scholarships. In Ohio, the state Senate passed a bill to eliminate DEI-related activities, while the Indiana Senate proposed a law prohibiting faculty from supporting DEIs with penalties for non-violation.
The New Hampshire Department of Education has advised school leaders to evaluate DEI programs for compliance with the new federal directive, and the Indiana Department of Education has announced that it will collect signatures from districts and schools that confirm compliance.
Washington’s Department of Education, February 4, 2025 (Reuters/Kevin Lamarck)
The accreditation document states that “no one will rule out race, color, or origin as discrimination is denied under a federal financially supported program or activity based on the basis of race, color or national origin.”
The accreditation directed K-12 school districts and universities to end all “employment, employment, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, administrative assistance, discipline, housing, graduation and all other aspects of students and academics” after a letter from a dear colleague was sent in February.
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In January, Trump published “Fundamental Radical Indoctrination from Kindergarten to High School,” which prohibits teaching materials that are considered K-12 students and materials that promote “gender ideology” and critical racial theory. The order requires law enforcement agencies to investigate educational institutions suspected of promoting such content and to investigate educational institutions that criminally prosecute educators who support the social transition of minors.
Jamie Joseph is a US political reporter for Fox News Digital, covering transgender and cultural issues, the departments of education, health and welfare, and state legislative development.
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