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USA Today
23-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Public schools that refuse to follow Trump's DEI directive are now in the crosshairs
Public schools that refuse to follow Trump's DEI directive are now in the crosshairs Ivy League colleges aren't the only campuses under fire over DEI initiatives. Now, Trump's orders are taking aim at K-12 public schools. Show Caption Hide Caption Federal judge blocks Trump from cutting school funding over DEI A federal judge in New Hampshire has blocked the Trump administration from cutting federal funding from public schools that continue to run diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. unbranded - Newsworthy Chicago school officials felt they needed to address the academic achievement gap between Black students and other kids on their campuses. So they created the Black Student Success Plan, a program to help those kids thrive. What they didn't know was that the program would become the center of a federal investigation and a symbol of rebellion against the Trump administration. Nor did they know that their district could lose federal funding. Thousands of campuses from at least a dozen states have rejected President Donald Trump's claim that diversity, equity and inclusion programming violated federal civil rights law, and his directive to schools to eliminate them. They've continued to host academic programs that benefit certain disadvantaged groups of students and allow books and curricula about racial and social justice to remain in their classrooms. U.S Department of Education officials wrote a memo to state officials on April 3 telling them schools must end programs that give advantages to students from one race or group over another. They first directed schools to comply with their order within 10 days, and then gave them an extension to comply by April 24. If they didn't, they said they risked losing federal dollars for violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans discrimination based on race, color and national origin in federally-funded agencies and programs. The 10-day mark and the extension has long passed. The Education Department's Office of Civil Rights has since launched investigations into several alleged civil rights violations at dozens of universities and colleges, including Harvard University and Yale University. Now the agency's focus has shifted to public schools that serve the nation's younger students. Trump's Education Department this month announced investigations into DEI programs at Chicago Public Schools and another Illinois school district: Evanston-Skokie School District 65. Officials in Illinois are part of those from at least 19 states that have pushed back against Trump's directive and refused to cut programming that encourages diversity, equity and inclusion. Here's what we know about the ongoing conflict over DEI between public schools and the Trump administration's Education Department. 'Root out DEI': Why red states are enlisting in Trump's war on 'woke' What's happening in Illinois? A national grassroots organization that advocates against DEI programs in schools, called Defending Education, complained on Feb. 21 about the Chicago program for Black students to the Education Department's Office of Civil Rights. Nicole Neily, president and founder of Defending Education, grumbled about how Chicago district leaders "made a conscious decision to allocate finite resources to some students and not others." 'No student should be denied an educational opportunity because of the color of their skin, yet perversely, that's exactly what Chicago Public Schools has chosen to do – despite the fact that the district's own data clearly demonstrates that students of all races are struggling academically,' Neily wrote in a news release about the case. On April 29, the U.S. Department of Education announced it had launched an investigation into the district and expressed concern that school leaders were giving "additional resources to favored students on the basis of race." Craig Trainor, an acting assistant secretary for the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights, said the agency "will not allow federal funds, provided for the benefit of all students, to be used in this pernicious and unlawful manner," in a news release. Ben Pagani, a spokesperson for Chicago Public Schools, declined to comment on the pending investigation. But he said the Black Student Success Plan is codified in and mandated by Illinois state law and incorporated in the district's five-year strategic plan. Another Illinois district is also facing scrutiny. The conservative national nonprofit organization Southeastern Legal Foundation filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights on behalf of Stacy Deemar, a teacher at Evanston-Skokie School District 65, who alleged the district's policies and practices violate a federal civil rights law, according to a news release from the Education Department. The drama teacher complained about training seminars the district held "including one that employed racial stereotypes including concepts such as 'white talk' and 'color commentary' to describe how those of different races communicate." She also said the district was sponsoring affinity groups for "both students and staff that are formally restricted on the basis of race, including one for staff divided between 'individuals of color' and those who identify as 'White," according to a summary of the complaint. Hannah Dillow, a spokesperson for Evanston-Skokie School District 65, said in an email to USA TODAY that district officials were told that they were under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education on May 1. Dillow said that the teacher's complaint misrepresented the district's "lawful and important professional learning and student-focused initiatives that are designed to advance the work of ensuring that ALL students have access and opportunity to a robust, high-quality education." The district hopes for a "just and expeditious resolution" with the Education Department's OCR, Dillow said. Trump gave schools 2 weeks to ban DEI. Lawyers say it's not that simple. Why states rejected Trumps DEI directive Some states and education groups have decried the anti-DEI in education directive in court. On April 25, 19 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Education Department, as well as Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and Trainor, calling the directive issued in the April 3 memo "unlawful and unconstitutional." They argued the threat from the Trump administration to pull their funding if they didn't oblige was "subjective and illegal punishment for not acceding to an agenda to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion of any kind in schools." The Education Department and its staff "have acted to unlawfully imperil more than $13.8 billion that are spent to educate our youth," their suit claims. Any loss of federal funding for refusing to cut DEI programs could be "catastrophic" for students, the suit adds, because the states rely on federal dollars to fund schools and won't have a replacement for the money if that's cut. "For instance, loss of special education funding would devastate schools and districts' abilities to serve students with disabilities," the lawsuit reads. The Education Department did not respond to an inquiry from USA TODAY about the states' lawsuit. Special education experts Worry about students with disabilities post-Education Department In the meantime, several states have continued with DEI programming. New York state officials have said they will not comply with the Trump administration's directives. 'We understand that the current administration seeks to censor anything it deems 'diversity, equity & inclusion,'' wrote Daniel Morton-Bentley, counsel and deputy commissioner of the state Department of Education, in a letter to the federal Education Department. 'But there are no federal or [New York] State laws prohibiting the principles of DEI.' That means New York City Public Schools' mandated Black Studies curriculum program for all students will continue, for example. Many other states have shared wavering commitment to continuing programs that incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion. The states that refused to comply could be protected from losing their federal funding – at least for now. On April 24, a New Hampshire judge and two other federal judges temporarily banned the Trump administration from pulling federal funding from schools that refused to cut diversity, equity and inclusion programming. On Feb. 14, the Education Department sent a memo to school officials with a directive to "ensure that their policies and actions comply with existing civil rights law." The National Education Association and its New Hampshire chapter and the American Civil Liberties Union and its New Hampshire and Massachusetts chapters responded with a lawsuit against the federal department and its head staffers. The groups argued that the directive was on overstep for the Education Department, vague and a violation of teachers' rights. U.S. District Court Judge Landya McCafferty said the Education Department's directive did not specifically define what kind of program the administration considers to be a DEI program that is in violation of the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Trump administration Gives states 10 days to certify they've ended DEI in schools Students bring the debate to court Some schools in states that have not objected to the Education Department's anti-DEI directive have removed books that contain information about racial and social justice or cut programs that help LGBTQ+ and other marginalized students, leading one group of kids and parents to file a lawsuit against their schools. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the Department of Defense Education Activity on behalf of 12 children of active duty service members. They said their schools are "quarantining library books and whitewashing curricula in (their) civilian schools" and have "systemically removed books, altered curricula, and canceled events." Those include academic materials about slavery, Native American history, LGBTQ+ identities and history, preventing sexual harassment and abuse and portions of AP Psychology curriculum, according to the lawsuit. Michael O'Day, a spokesperson for the agency that runs schools for children of military personnel, said it does not comment on pending litigation. Natalie Tolley, a parent of three students in these schools, said her children and their peers "deserve access to books that both mirror their own life experiences and that act as windows that expose them to greater diversity." 'Learning is a sacred and foundational right that is now being limited for students in DoDEA schools,' she wrote. 'The implementation of these EOs, without any due process or parental or professional input, is a violation of our children's right to access information that prevents them from learning about their own histories, bodies, and identities. Contact Kayla Jimenez at kjimenez@ Follow her on X at @kaylajjimenez.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Department of Education to resume loan payback for borrowers
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The U.S Department of Education will officially resume collecting defaulted federal student loans on Monday, May 5, marking the end of a three-year pause, which began during the COVID-19 pandemic. For thousands of Missourians, and particularly residents of St. Joseph, this could mean renewed pressure from loan services, especially for those whose loans are currently in default. However, for St. Joseph resident Lorna Davis, the deadline will be of no concern as she believes its starts with making smart decision before taking loans. It's a matter of catching it beforehand and deciding if you want to go to a four year school and if you're actually going to stick with it," Davis said. "If there is any way to avoid them, I think that's best." The pause, which began in March 2020, offered temporary relief to more than 40 million borrowers, halting interest accrual and collections on defaulted loans. But starting this month, collections on federally held student loans in default are restarting, with garnishments of wages, tax refunds and Social Security benefits once again on the table. In an April interview with Fox Business, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon urged Americans to act swiftly. 'It's very simple, we've announced that by May 5, you must start to repay your loan,' McMahon said. 'This is not meant to cause hardship. There are several different payment plans available.' What This Means for St. Joseph Residents According to the most recent data from the Department of Education, Buchanan County has a significant number of residents with student debt, and many of those loans are currently in default. Local borrowers who have fallen behind could now face renewed garnishments or negative credit reporting if they do not act quickly. For St. Joseph resident Beth Crumpler, the return to repayment is daunting. "Right now I haven't been navigating them because I haven't had to pay with the forbearance going on,'Crumpler said. "But I'm just going to have to work probably until the day I die. I'll just be working to pay what I have to pay." The Fresh Start initiative, a temporary program from the Department of Education, allows borrowers in default to return to good standing and avoid collections. Borrowers can: Remove the default status from their loans, re-enter regular repayment plans, restore eligibility for federal financial aid, and prevent wage or benefit garnishment. Borrowers must act soon, as Fresh Start is not automatic. To enroll, visit or contact your loan servicer. "I don't know if it was worth it to have the loans but college prepared me for my job absolutely, Crumpler said.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How each Hampton Roads school division responded to Trump's demand of eliminating DEI
School divisions across the Hampton Roads region ranged in response to the Trump administration's letters and executive order to comply with federal guidelines by not using 'illegal' diversity, equity and inclusion policies in their schools. The U.S Department of Education put out a notice on April 3, following a 'Dear Colleague' letter in February that asserted that DEI practices were discriminatory in nature, citing the Supreme Court case that ended affirmative action. The schools originally had until April 11 to certify that they were in compliance with federal anti discrimination laws before it was extended to April 24. Schools would risk federal funding, which pays for Title 1 schools, free and reduced lunch and resources for certain special education programs. For some divisions such as Virginia Beach, federal funding provides for tens of millions of dollars, something that school board members considered before certifying for their division. Federal funding still only makes up a small amount of revenue for a school division. While Democratic states told schools not to sign the letter, questioning the legality of the executive order and filing lawsuits in response, Virginia's education department encouraged schools to certify compliance. Though guidance has been sparse from federal and state departments on how to implement these changes, superintendents are assessing what changes, if any, need to be made to their divisions. Divisions generally fell into two categories: those that voted on certification during a meeting and those who didn't. Here's how your division responded: ___ Norfolk Public Schools is one of three divisions in the state to reject Trump's executive order. The other two were Loudoun County and Fairfax County. Instead, the school board pushed a motion to sign a modified letter, which ensured they were complying with current and future state and federal law as well as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Trump administration's executive orders are currently being litigated, and federal judges have blocked the administration from stripping funds from schools for not certifying. When asked if changing the letter could put the division out of compliance by board member Adale Martin, Deputy City Attorney Jack Cloud said the government could say so. Norfolk School Board rejects Trump administration's anti-DEI compliance letter 'I can't say how the Trump administration and the United States Department of Education will react,' said Cloud. Norfolk Public Schools could be risking over $5 million that they planned to receive in their proposed budget from the government to keep the initiatives within its divisions. ___ Virginia Beach's School Board pushed a last minute resolution to remove DEI policies from its schools during their April 8 board meeting. The vote passed 6-3, with two members absent. Board member David Culpepper, who drafted and sent it the evening before the meeting, stated they needed to make a decision due to the quick timeline. The division gets around $74 million federally according to school board leadership. However, the resolution wasn't put on the agenda, which sparked outcry from students, educators and advocates for evading criticism and hurting marginalized students at their next meeting. Over 100 people address Virginia Beach School Board in meeting outlining DEI removal Virginia Beach's Superintendent Donald Robertson and division leadership have begun reviewing and modifying certain programs and policies since. The Educational Equity policy, established in 2020 that emphasized implicit bias training, inclusive practices and brought a dashboard that tracked student achievement and inclusion for vulnerable students, is suspended until the policy review committee fully analyzes it. Vice Chair Carolyn Weems and school board attorney Kamala Lannetti issued a first draft of the revised Educational Equity policy during a policy review committee meeting on April 23, which all but gutted it. Acknowledging racial inequities and inequitable policies, key fixtures of the original policy, were removed. Replacing them were non discrimination language, ensuring that practices are 'non discriminatory in nature.' ___ Suffolk's School Board pushed for a resolution during their April 24 meeting, voting 4-3 to certify and thus remove DEI policies in its schools. Some board members argued for keeping them, believing they help students feel included. Their education equity policy, which pushed for diversity initiatives in hiring and inclusive classroom practices, was suspended. Like Virginia Beach's, it acknowledged racial equity, and it also had established an Equity Audit Tool, which measured school practices that identify discrimination within data. It's unknown how that will impact student clubs and extracurriculars at the moment. 'It's unfortunate that we've been put into a no-win situation,' said John Gordon III, Suffolk's Superintendent at their April 24 meeting. ___ Newport News Public Schools elected to not make their decision to certify public during a school board meeting. Newport News did sign the certification letter to maintain federal funding. However, Board Chair Lisa Surles-Law argued that since they didn't have any DEI programs, policies or office, the division was already in compliance. Unlike Suffolk and Virginia Beach, which had both education equity and nondiscrimination policies, Newport News only has nondiscrimination policies on the books. No changes to the division will occur, according to Surles-Law. ___ Portsmouth didn't discuss signing the letter during a school board meeting. The division signed the certification letter on Wednesday, April 9 and no changes should be expected, according to a spokesperson. ___ Chesapeake didn't discuss the letter during a school board meeting and signed the certification letter, said a Chesapeake Public Schools spokesperson. Potential changes to the division remain unknown. ___ Hampton didn't discuss the letter during a school board meeting and signed it. A spokesperson for the division said that their school board policies are in compliance with Title VI and federal and state law. An interview request to speak with board members was declined 'until further information about the blocked provision is provided.' Toni Odejimi,
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Norfolk School Board rejects Trump administration's anti-DEI compliance letter
Norfolk's School Board voted 5-2 Wednesday night to reject signing the U.S Department of Education's certification letter to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs in public schools. The board voted to instead change the letter to say they'll comply with what state and federal courts have and will establish as law and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Trump administration's executive orders surrounding DEI are currently being litigated. 'By not signing it, we represent and we speak for Norfolk,' said Vice Chair Alfreda Thomas. The Department of Education put out a notice on April 3 asking schools to certify that they weren't using DEI policies in their schools or risk losing federal funding. It's part of the Trump administration's wider restructuring of education, combatting past practices focused on racial and gender identity. Schools had until April 24 to sign the letter as directed by federal and state education departments, an extension from the original April 11 deadline. Board member Jason Inge pushed the motion for Superintendent Sharon Byrdsong to not sign the compliance letter. Most board members agreed, maintaining that that most city residents wouldn't want such programs ended. Board members Adale Martin and Kenneth Paulson opposed the idea, with losing federal funds top of mind for Martin. 'As elected officials we swore, when we took our oath, to do no harm,' said Martin. Federal funding is used for Title 1 schools and free and reduced lunch programs, which help vulnerable students access education and nutritious meals. Norfolk Public Schools has 26 Title 1 schools, including 23 elementary schools, and all students are free and reduced lunch eligible in the division, according to state data. In their proposed budget for next fiscal year, the division planned to receive over $5 million in federal dollars. The meeting comes after Virginia Beach's school board meeting on April 22, where over 100 speakers signed up to speak, largely expressing dissent against the board's actions to comply with federal guidelines without properly notifying the public. Other school divisions in the region, including Portsmouth, Chesapeake and Hampton, have all signed their certification letter. 'Now we're sitting in 2025 where now we have to vote on dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion and the federal government is forcing us to do that? No,' said Inge. Toni Odejimi,
Los Angeles Times
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Education Department plans to lay off 1,300 employees as Trump vows to wind the agency down
WASHINGTON — The U.S Department of Education plans to lay off over 1,300 of its more than 4,000 employees as part of a reorganization that's seen as a prelude to President Trump's plan to dismantle the agency. Department officials announced the cuts Tuesday, raising questions about the agency's ability to continue usual operations. The layoffs are part of a dramatic downsizing directed by Trump as he moves to reduce the footprint of the federal government. Thousands of jobs are expected to be cut across the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration and other agencies. The department is also terminating leases on buildings in cities including New York, Boston, Chicago and Cleveland, said Rachel Oglesby, the department's chief of staff. She said the changes would not affect the agency's Office for Civil Rights or its functions mandated by Congress, such as the distribution of federal aid to schools. The Trump administration had already been whittling the agency's staff, though buyout offers and the termination of probationary employees. After Tuesday's layoffs, the education department's staff will sit at roughly half of its previous 4,000, Oglesby said. Education Secretary Linda McMahon told employees to brace for profound cuts in a memo issued March 3, the day she was confirmed by the Senate. She said it was the department's 'final mission' to eliminate bureaucratic bloat and turn over the agency's authority to states. The department sent an email to employees Tuesday telling them its Washington headquarters and regional offices would be closed Wednesday, with access forbidden, before reopening Thursday. The only reason given for the closures was unspecified 'security reasons.' Trump campaigned on a promise to close the department, saying it had been overtaken by 'radicals, zealots and Marxists.' At McMahon's confirmation hearing, she acknowledged only Congress has the power to abolish the agency but said it might be due for cuts and a reorganization. Whether the cuts will be felt by America's students — as Democrats and advocates fear — is yet to be seen. Already there are concerns the administration's agenda has pushed aside some of the agency's most fundamental work, including the enforcement of civil rights for students with disabilities and the management of $1.6 trillion in federal student loans. McMahon told lawmakers at her hearing that her aim is not to defund core programs, but to make them more efficient. Even before the layoffs, the Department of Education was among the smallest cabinet-level agencies. Its workforce included 3,100 people in Washington and an additional 1,100 at regional offices across the country, according to a department website. The department's workers had faced increasing pressure to quit their jobs since Trump took office, first through a deferred resignation program and then through a $25,000 buyout offer that expired March 3. The buyout offer came with a warning that there would be 'significant layoffs in the near future.' Binkley writes for the Associated Press.
