California violated the Trump administration’s order on Friday, proving that the state’s 1,000 school districts have ended all diversity, equity and inclusion programs despite federal threats to cut billions of dollars in education funding if the state fails to comply.
The U.S. Department of Education has provided states with states until April 24 to collect certificates from every school district nationwide – confirming that all DEI efforts have been cancelled because it believes that these programs are a form of discrimination based on race and violation of civil rights laws.
The California Department of Education (CDE) defended the legitimacy of the DEI efforts in a letter to the head of the school district on Friday.
“There is nothing in state or federal law … prohibits the broad concept of ‘diversity’, ‘equity,’ or ‘inclusiveness’,” wrote the chief agent. David Schapira in a letter to school districts, county education offices and charter schools.
The CDE also sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education about the decision to not comply with and said the federal request was vague.
“It is not clear what specific programs or activities are [the federal agency] Although the request for authentication is “certain DEI practices” or “illegal DEI”, attempts are made to be regulated by this authentication. It has no definition…”
Although the calculation challenge for federal education funding is calculated and reached through multiple channels, some statistics make that number $16.3 billion a year in California, including money for school meals, students with disabilities and early education head start programs. The Los Angeles Unified School District estimates it earns about $1.26 billion a year, slightly less than 10% of its annual budget.
Sixteen states have tried to comply with the order, including New Hampshire, North Carolina and Texas. According to the state-by-state tracker compiled by news website Education Week, ten other people refused — including New York, Wisconsin and Oregon.
A letter to school leaders on April 4 foreshadowed the decision of California and pointed out that it is regular and often affirmed that they comply with federal law and that such assurances have been made, and that they are “surveilled annually through… multiple accounting mechanisms.”
The U.S. Department of Education did not immediately respond to California’s decision on Friday.
But Linda McMahon, Secretary of Education on Social Media, praised Puerto Rican territory on U.S. territory. She also praised New Hampshire for releasing certifications for various school districts.
A few California school systems are controlled by pro-Trump leadership. These include Chino Valley Unified, which bypasses state education officials and is directly certified to federal officials.
“It’s effortless for us,” said Sonja Shaw, chairman of the school board. “I think it’s absolutely clear: our focus remains where it’s in the place it belongs – the best results for our students in reading, writing, math and achieving the best results… not in the ideology and divisions of California,” said Sonja Shaw. [Gov.] Gavin Newsom and his relatives continued to push. ”
Federal demand follows a February 14 letter, the U.S. Department of Education told all K-12 school districts and higher education institutions to end “admissions, recruitment, promotions, promotions, compensation, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, scholarships, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, graduation ceremonies and all other aspects of student, academic and academic life” and other aspects of Campus Life and Campus Life.
Since then, many universities in California and across the country have eliminated their diversity efforts to draw references from their websites.
Federal officials say the need for certification is the next step in the law enforcement process.
“Federal financial aid is a privilege, not a right,” Craig Trainer, acting assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a statement. Many schools have violated their legal obligations, he said, “including using the DEI program to discriminate against one group of Americans in favor of another.”
The certification form includes several pages of legal analysis to support the government’s demands, which is largely based on the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to prohibit affirmative action in college admissions through a lawsuit filed against Harvard.
Trainor quoted Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who said: “Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of this.”
However, after other states refused to comply with reasoning, California challenged Trainor’s conclusions in an April 11 letter to the U.S. Department of Education.
“We are worried [the Department of Education] “It appears to be an attempt to change the terms and conditions of California awards without formal administrative proceedings,” the letter said.
The letter was signed by Len Garfinkel, general counsel for the California Department of Education, and Kirin K. Gill, chief counsel for the state board of education.
When New York officials refused, they directly challenged the Supreme Court case cited by Trainor.
LA Unified’s latest statement takes the issue with caution, saying the school system will follow state guidance to comply with federal law.
The Trump administration has issued similar threats to school districts and states regarding policies related to trans students and sex education programs. On Friday, the department announced law enforcement actions against Maine that could lead to the withdrawal of federal education funds.
In another operation, federal officials’ investigation into the California Department of Education allegedly withheld information from parents about changes in their children’s gender identity, again at risk of threats.
Federal officials argue that California law, known as the Security Act, violates a federal law that ensures parents access to their children’s school records. They say federal law is called the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act or FERPA priority.
State education officials also responded to the investigation Friday by defending state laws.
“There is no conflict between California’s security bill and Fairpa,” said Tony Thurmond, a state assistant for public instructions.
“Today, California affirms what is available and continues to comply with federal law, while we are giving needles to all students,” Thurmond said. “As we respond to the U.S. Department of Education’s national response, and plain text confirmation of state and federal laws, there is nothing illegal about a broad range of core values such as diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
He added: “I am proud of our students, educators and the school community who continue to focus on teaching despite the federal action being designed to distract and disrupt.”
Times worker Daniel Miller contributed to the report.
