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The Trump administration has given a 10-day deadline to prove the risk of losing all federal funds, in order to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusive practices, by increasing pressure on K-12 schools across California and across the country, and by giving districts and states a 10-day deadline.
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 it will receive approximately $1.26 billion a year.
Trump and his appointees have repeatedly threatened federal funding states and local officials if they fail to comply with his executive orders and legal interpretations of his administration.
Thursday’s memo followed the February 14th letter, which increased the pressure. The U.S. Department of Education has told all K-12 school districts and higher education institutions to end the use of race in “admission, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, awards, administrative assistance, discipline, housing, graduation and all aspects of student, academic and campus life expectancy.”
The February letter set out a new federal government anti-discrimination enforcement policy and threatened to withdraw federal dollars from schools that were not in line with the line. The letter in February sparked universities and universities across California and across the country eliminated the DEI program and reduced mentions from their websites.
Thursday’s memo takes the threat of funding another step by asking education leaders to sign documents that they have eliminated DEI programming.
“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.”
On Thursday morning, state and local officials said they were reviewing and rating the memo, saying their comments will be released soon.
However, a spokesman for the California Department of Education provided a preliminary response.
“We continue to review this morning’s letter, but it appears to be another attempt to impose national ideology on local schools by threatening to withhold important resources for their students,” Elizabeth Sanders said. “Regardless of this or letter, we are solidifying that the basic needs of our children in our country should not be a tip for negotiations.”
Another comment came from Tanya Ortiz Franklin, an elected board member of the LA Unified School District.
“Instead of wasting time and collecting signatures, the federal government should focus on maintaining and implementing the level of support needed by the most vulnerable students from countries that rely on immediate educated leadership,” Franklin said.
Sonja Shaw, chairman of Chino Valley Unified School District, said he supported the memo’s thrust.
“The Trump administration’s orders are a key step in governance in the overpoliticization of our schools,” Shaw said. “We need to go back to the fundamentals of education. Rather than promoting divisive ideology, we need to teach children how to read, write and critical thinking. This is to protect their children’s future by ensuring education is not hijacked by a non-classroom political agenda.”
The accreditation directs state leaders to sign a “legal obligation reminder” that recognizes federal funds conditional on compliance with federal civil rights laws.
The accreditation compliance 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 litigation against Harvard University.
The trainer cited the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts. He said:
The trainer stated, “Students should not be denied opportunities or treated differently for race. We hope that all state and local educational institutions agree and acknowledge this legal and constitutional principle.”
According to the administration’s legal analysis, schools and states using DEI practices may face losses in federal funds, including grants and contracts, and can be liable under the False Claims Act.
The legal analysis specifically mentions that I-funded Title I is at risk. This sends billions of dollars a year to American schools to offset the impact of poverty in student education.
California received a Title I fund of about $2.1 billion, and LA merged about $460 million.
The department has ordered the state Department of Education to sign the accreditation and collect the accreditation from the school system.
Collin Binkley, a staff writer for the Associated Press, contributed to the story.
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