State education officials in New York have rejected the Trump administration’s request to remove DEI practices from public schools.
Officials in New York have formally rejected the Trump administration’s order that public schools have proven that they could end diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices and potentially lead to funding federal education.
“We understand that the current administration is trying to censor what we consider to be ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’,” he writes. “However, there are no federal or state laws that prohibit the DEI principles.”
In the directive, the faculty warned that continuing use of DEI practices that school districts deem racist could result in the loss of federal funds.
“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 ignore legal obligations. “Involves using the DEI program to discriminate against one group of Americans and support another.”
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“The ongoing use of illegal DEI practices may result in serious consequences on individuals or entities using such practices,” the analysis states, and that agencies that continue to use DEI practices in violation of federal law may owe a “substantial debt” including prospects for a lawsuit by the Department of Justice.
Morton Bentley has expressed his opposition to the education department’s demands, saying that the NYSED has already certified Title VI compliance earlier this year as part of the NYSED-approved federal education plan. He said the new certification demand is based on legally questionable interpretations of both Title VI and students for a fair admission vs Harvard decision.
“There is no further certification planned given the fact that you already have a Title VI and that you are compliant with NYSED,” he writes.
He criticized his description as a sudden policy reversal, pointing to comments made in 2020 by then-Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. Morton Bentley writes that the current administration has not explained the change in stance.
The Epoch Times contacted the Education Department in a request for comment.
“To all entities that continue to allow men to compete in women’s sports and use women’s intimate facilities. There are new sheriffs in town,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “We will no longer allow you to escape by denializing women’s civil rights.”
Since returning to the White House in his second term, President Donald Trump has dismantled the DEI initiatives of government and taxpayer-funded agencies and took enforcement measures to reaffirm the legal definition of gender based on biological characteristics rather than gender identity.
Critics view Day’s initiative as an identity-based form of discrimination that undermines meritocracy, but supporters say such policies reduce discrimination and ensure a greater representation of historically marginalized groups.
