{"id":412,"date":"2025-02-28T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/entouragecover.com\/?p=412"},"modified":"2025-03-03T14:32:20","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T14:32:20","slug":"democrats-call-for-education-department-to-rescind-threats-to-end-federal-funding-for-schools-with-dei-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/entouragecover.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/28\/democrats-call-for-education-department-to-rescind-threats-to-end-federal-funding-for-schools-with-dei-programs\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats call for Education Department to rescind threats to end federal funding for schools with DEI programs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A\u00a0group of Democrats is calling on the Department of Education to rescind threats of defunding schools with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Hill received an exclusive look at a letter sent to Denise Carter, the department’s acting secretary, and Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights. <\/p>\n

The letter, led by Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.), criticizes the department for a Feb. 14\u00a0 \u201cDear Colleague” letter sent to educational institutions receiving federal funds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the Democrats\u2019 letter, legislators argue the Department\u2019s threats are \u201cyet another example of the concerted movement to dismantle educational opportunities for the most marginalized students and deny all students the shared benefits of educational experiences that equip them with the skills to think critically about and thrive in our multiracial and diverse democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSchools\u2019 diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives simply aim to level the playing field and redress the ongoing harms of segregation and centuries of legal inequity, exclusion, and discrimination,\u201d the letter states. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe programs, curricula, and trainings being targeted by the Office for Civil Rights do not afford any unfair advantages to women and girls, students of color, LGBTQ+ students, students with disabilities, and\/or immigrant students.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the Department of Education\u2019s letter on Feb. 14, Trainor stated that institutions receiving federal funds must end using \u201crace preferences and stereotypes\u201d as a factor in admissions, hiring, promotions, compensation, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, sanctions and discipline. <\/p>\n

The letter specifically mentioned the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision to end race conscious admissions in higher education in the Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard case. <\/p>\n

\u201cWith this guidance, the Trump Administration is directing schools to end the use of racial preferences and race stereotypes in their programs and activities\u2014a victory for justice, civil rights laws, and the Constitution,\u201d Trainor said at the time. \u201cFor decades, schools have been operating on the pretext that selecting students for \u2018diversity\u2019 or similar euphemisms is not selecting them based on race. No longer. Students should be assessed according to merit, accomplishment, and character\u2014not prejudged by the color of their skin. The Office for Civil Rights will enforce that commitment.\u201d <\/p>\n

Institutions that failed to end DEI programs could face an investigation and lose federal funding. The Department said it would begin assessing these institutions’ compliance 14 days from when the letter was sent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ending DEI programs and policies has become a priority for the Trump Administration. <\/p>\n

In January, President Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to end \u201cillegal preferences and discrimination\u201d in government and help find ways to \u201cencourage the private sector to end illegal discrimination and preferences, including DEI.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Thursday, the administration launched an online portal<\/a>\u00a0allowing people to report DEI practices in public schools.<\/p>\n

But, the efforts to eliminate DEI in schools have not been met without backlash. The American Federation of Teachers on Tuesday sued the Department of Education<\/a>\u00a0over its \u201cDear Colleague\u201d letter.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In their own letter to the Department, legislators on Friday warned that the Department\u2019s threats to end federal funding for institutions with DEI programs potentially introduces First Amendment concerns. <\/p>\n

The legislators also pushed back on the Department\u2019s use of the SFFA v. Harvard, pointing out that the decision did not make it unlawful for schools to pursue diversity. Instead, the lawmakers\u2019 letter states that SFFA v. Harvard actually acknowledged that enhancing diversity is a commendable goal. <\/p>\n

And despite the department giving institutions until March 1, lawmakers said there were no clear details for what schools and educational agencies can expect from these compliance assessments.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, it is unclear if the Office for Civil Rights intends to place every educational institution and agency receiving federal funding under investigation beginning March 1, or if the Office will only investigate schools and agencies with formal complaints levied against them,\u201d legislators wrote. <\/p>\n

The letter added that the Office for Civil Rights has an obligation to follow proper procedures before federal funding could be revoked. <\/p>\n

The Office for Civil Rights must allow educational institutions and agencies the ability to respond to allegations, enter into a resolution agreement and dispute the complaint before court. <\/p>\n

Democrats are now calling for the Office for Civil Rights to rescind its \u201cDear Colleague\u201d letter and provide schools and educational agencies of their right to due process before losing federal funding.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAddressing systemic discrimination through diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives improves the educational experience for everyone and is vital to the future success of our nation,\u201d the letter concludes. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A\u00a0group of Democrats is calling on the Department of Education to rescind threats of defunding schools with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.\u00a0 The Hill received an exclusive look at a letter sent to Denise Carter, the department’s acting secretary, and Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights.  The letter, led by Rep. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/entouragecover.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/entouragecover.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/entouragecover.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/entouragecover.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/entouragecover.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=412"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/entouragecover.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":413,"href":"http:\/\/entouragecover.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412\/revisions\/413"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/entouragecover.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/entouragecover.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/entouragecover.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/entouragecover.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}