California has joined several other states suing the Trump administration over demands that public schools eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives or risk losing federal funds.
A lawsuit from California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta and other state attorney general came one day after the Trump administration’s deadline for national authorities to gather accreditations from all school districts across the country, confirming that all DEI efforts have been eliminated on the argument that such DEI initiatives amount to illegal discrimination.
And two weeks after the California Department of Education defended the legality of DEI’s efforts in a letter to the district chief.
Bonta similarly defended the legality of the diversity initiative when announcing the lawsuit Friday.
“The U.S. Department of Education is negatively waiving its mission to ensure equal access to education with the latest threat of wholesale federal education funds mandated by Congress,” Bonta said in a statement.
“Let me be clear: The Federal Department of Education is not trying to “fight” discrimination with this latest order. Instead, we are making our country’s fundamental civil rights laws abandon our efforts to force the state to promote diversity, equity and inclusion through legitimate programs and policies. ”
Bonta, who has now sued the current Trump administration 15 times, said that President Trump “again… he has surpassed his authority under the Constitution and violated the law.”
The Attorney Generals of Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New York joined California in the lawsuit.
This article will be updated.
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