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California education officials show that despite federal officials threatening to cut off billions of dollars a year in federal education funding, they can defy the Trump administration’s orders aimed at ending all diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
The U.S. Department of Education gave the state 10 days on Thursday to collect accreditations from each school district, confirming that all DEI efforts have been completed. The Trump administration has argued that the DEI program is a form of racially-based discrimination and violates civil rights laws.
In a letter to the district chief on Friday, the California Department of Education appeared to question the federal government’s authority to implement such measures.
All 50 states were in the same order, and New York directly rejected the Trump administration’s request.
The state has regularly and regularly asserted that 1,000 school districts in California that they are complying with federal laws and “already submitting such guarantees,” and that compliance is “surveillanced annually through multiple accounting mechanisms.”
The CDE letter is signed by David Shapira, Deputy Director of Public Affairs under Chief Tony Thurmond of State Schools.
“CDE will respond [the Education Department] “On behalf of the nation,” the school district said, “by the date requested, and once we submit it, we will share a copy of you and our responses with you for your information,” Shapira wrote.
Importantly, the letter does not instruct the district to send certifications to the state or federal government or move to dismantle programs within a narrow 10-day time frame.
The U.S. Department of Education did not provide responses to a letter sent to California school districts by state education officials on Monday.
Last week’s federal demand followed a letter on February 14th, when the U.S. Department of Education informed all K-12 school districts and higher education institutions to end race considerations in “admission, employment, compensation, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, awards, administrative assistance, academics, housing, graduations, and all other aspects of student, academics, and campus life.”
Since then, many colleges and universities across California and across the country have scrubbed references from their websites, eliminating a diversity initiative, usually called DEI.
The certification demand on Thursday is the next step in the enforcement process, federal officials said.
“Federal financial aid is a privilege, not a right,” a trainer for Craig, assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a statement. He said many schools downplay their legal obligations by “including using the DEI program to include discriminating against one group of Americans and supporting another.”
The certification form included several pages of legal analysis that upheld the administration’s request based on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to ban positive cases in university admissions through lawsuits against Harvard University.
The trainer cited Secretary John G. Roberts Jr. He said:
However, New York officials challenged the connection to the Supreme Court case.
The New York Education Department “requires that without a formal administrative process, state education institutions agree to interpret the judicial decision, or agree to change the terms or change the terms,” wrote Daniel Morton Bentley, lawyers and vice-chairman.
“We understand that the current administration is trying to censor what we consider to be ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’,” Morton Bentley continued. “However, there are no federal or state laws that prohibit the DEI principles.”
He added: “No further certification is planned.”
The U.S. Department of Education also did not provide a response to letters from New York education officials.
Federal funds for education are difficult to arrive by calculating multiple channels, but some tallies amount to $16.3 billion per year in California. These include school lunches, students with disabilities, and the Early Education Head Start Program. The Los Angeles Unified School District estimates that it will receive approximately $1.26 billion a year for less than 10% of its annual budget.
The LA Unified statement approached the issue with caution. [the Education Department]the district is awaiting guidance from the California Department of Education. This is because communications regarding the certification form were directed to state educational institutions. ”
The administration has already issued similar threats to school districts and states regarding policies related to transgender students and sex education curricula.
Federal officials have launched an investigation by the California Department of Education, which allegedly withheld information from parents about changes in a child’s gender identity.
Federal officials argue that California law violates federal laws that guarantee access to parents’ children’s school records. Federal law, they say, takes priority.
State officials responded that California law does not violate federal law.
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