Education Dept. warns schools: Eliminate DEI programs or lose funding
The Trump administration has threatened to withhold federal funds from public schools that have diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
In a letter to state leaders across the country, the U.S. Education Department said Title I funding, which is targeted to schools with a high proportion of low income students, would be threatened if schools failed to follow its interpretation of civil rights laws.
Any violation of civil rights law, it says, “including the use of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (‘DEI’) programs to advantage one’s race over another—is impermissible.”
School and state officials are required to sign a certification letter attached to the memo and return it to the department within 10 days, proving that they are complying with the directive.
This is the latest in a series of letters the department has issued to state and local school leaders: one focused on student privacy, another abruptly ending COVID relief funding promised to schools, and another issuing guidance on how to use federal funds to support parent choice in public education.
While Secretary of Education Linda McMahon has not clearly defined what the administration considers a violation of civil rights law, the agency issued a letter in February that notified educational institutions that they must “cease using race preferences and stereotypes as a factor in their admissions, hiring, promotion, scholarship.”
In a related document addressing frequently asked questions about how the administration would interpret Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the agency said: “Many schools have advanced discriminatory policies and practices under the banner of ‘DEI’ initiatives.” The document went on to say that schools could engage in historical observances like Black History Month “so long as they do not engage in racial exclusion or discrimination.”
While the federal government is only responsible for about 10% of money that goes to schools, Title I is one of the largest federal grants overseen by the Education Department: In the current fiscal year, the federal government set aside more than $18.38 billion for Title I. Nearly 90% of U.S. school districts benefit from the program.
“Federal financial assistance is a privilege, not a right,” Craig Trainor, the department’s acting assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a statement. “When state education commissioners accept federal funds, they agree to abide by federal antidiscrimination requirements. Unfortunately, we have seen too many schools flout or outright violate these obligations, including by using DEI programs to discriminate against one group of Americans to favor another based on identity characteristics.”
Many educators worry that the removal of this money could have significant impacts, especially to rural and low income communities that rely heavily on federal funding.
The American Federation of Teachers, with 1.8 million members the nation’s second largest teachers union, is part of a lawsuit aimed at blocking the department’s recent civil rights guidelines.
“In the middle of a school year, the president is trying to bully the very same school districts that he insisted, just a few weeks ago, should be in charge of education,” the AFT’s president, Randi Weingarten said in a statement. “He’s wielding a cudgel of billions in federal aid to tens of millions of children, of all races and ethnicities, to force educators to kowtow to his politics and ideology.”
In the rural Lucerne Valley Unified School District in the high desert of California, Superintendent Peter Livingston says he’s still digesting the latest civil rights guidelines. He says about 90% of his district’s students are considered economically disadvantaged, and all of its schools rely on Title I.
“If the money were to be threatened, that would have a huge impact,” he says.
But he also favors the efforts to reduce the role of the Education Department in local schools, especially if it means federal dollars could be used more efficiently.
He says his district uses Title I funds to hire staff, to keep class sizes smaller and for academic programs that help “level the playing field” for students regardless of their income.
“If the regulations are in place that we have to follow,” he adds, “that’s what we’d be doing in order to ensure that we had the money to serve our students.”
Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro says ‘I’d rather die’ than use generative AI
Del Toro's new Frankenstein adaption reimagines Mary Shelley's 1818 Gothic novel. Frankenstein was like a tech bro: "creating something without considering the consequences," he explains.
Democrats invited Republicans to a town hall. Here’s what happened
Imagine getting an invitation to a town hall from someone across the political aisle. That was the idea behind a recent event sponsored by the Calhoun County Democratic Committee. They asked their members to invite Republican friends in an effort to bridge the divide.
Anglican Church Archbishop accused of sexual misconduct
Archbishop Steve Wood, who heads the Anglican Church of North America, faces of sexual harassment allegations. This marks the latest in a string of crises to rock the small, conservative denomination.
NBA coach Chauncey Billups, player Terry Rozier arrested in FBI gambling probe
Rozier, a guard for the Miami Heat, was investigated by the NBA in 2023 in connection with suspicious gambling activity on a game that he exited early.
Its the deadliest year for ICE in decades. As detentions rise, the trend may continue
There have been at least 20 deaths in ICE custody in 2025, the deadliest year since 2004. As the agency is ramping up hiring and increasing detentions, concerns remain about how to stop the trend.
In an era of techno-dystopia, Sudan Archives’ ‘The BPM’ imagines a liberated future
On her stunning new album The BPM, the multi-instrumentalist Sudan Archives explores the freedom of augmented reality and technology through the sounds of club music.