The U.S. Department of Education provides colleges and schools with race-specific programs, including financial aid and racially themed dormitory floors and graduation rituals – until the end of this month to abolish them, or risk losing federal funds as educators in Holiday weekends landed on a wide range of new guidelines for competition interpretation.
this “Dear colleague” letter From the department’s civil rights department to K-12 and higher education leaders have proposed a new federal anti-discrimination enforcement policy that goes beyond the use of enrolled races, a practice banned by the U.S. Supreme Court since 2023.
The guidelines were signed by Acting Assistant Minister of Civil Rights Trainer Craig, who said: “In connection with admission, recruitment, promotion, compensation, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, housing, graduation ceremony The competition uses race to schools, students, academics and other aspects of campus life “violate the anti-discrimination law and legal precedent in cases of affirmative action in the High Court.
The letter said: “The Ministry will no longer tolerate the widespread popularity of open and secret racial discrimination in educational institutions in the country.” Later, it added that the federal education authorities would “with all preschool, middle schools, middle schools that receive financial assistance.” and the same provisions of higher education institutions and state educational institutions” and all preschool, secondary, secondary and attending educational institutions and state educational institutions of state educational institutions are enforced. ”
The letter looked out “white and Asian students, many of whom came from vulnerable backgrounds and low-income families” as victims of discrimination. It does not mention other types of school programs that attract non-ethnic groups, such as women’s dormitories, floors in dormitories rooms or programs targeting LGBTQ+ students or religious groups.
A spokesperson for the department did not respond to a request for comment Sunday.
Received in California The total federal funding totaled about $16.3 billion last year for 5.8 million K-12 public school students, according to the Education Data Program, which compiles information from government sources. These figures include education-related expenses outside the education sector, such as school meal plans and the start of preschoolers. The letter did not say whether the decision would apply to funds outside the department.
At the university level, more than $1.5 billion is allocated annually from the department, and is distributed to students in California through the Pell Grant, which does not have to be reimbursed and is given to students with low family income. In addition, more than $1 billion has been allocated nationwide through other programs supporting low-income students.
The letter does not specify which types of schools and universities are at risk of federal funding.
Education and law experts said Sunday that the department’s guiding goal is not only academics agree that using race is illegal—the practices of admission and recruitment, but also those common and often uncontroversial. These include scholarships to assist underrepresented minorities, culturally themed dorm rooms, and optional graduation ceremonies for Black, Latino, Native Americans and other college and high school groups.
Shaun Harper, a professor of education, public policy and business at the University of Southern California, said the message — a sharp shift in civil rights enforcement in education under President Biden — guarantees a shocking effect. ”
He also questioned that the Ministry of Education’s letters were legally justified.
“The Supreme Court has no campus programs and resources to ban competition-consciousness. Instead, it ruled that race cannot be used as a factor in determining admission,” Harper said. “Therefore, my dear colleague’s letter is an explanatory excess.”
California’s proposal 209, approved in 1996, banned all public education institutions in the state from considering enrollment races. Private institutions such as the University of Southern California and Stanford were also banned after the recent Supreme Court affirmative action ruling.
However, other race-related campus programs have been widely developed in K-12 schools, universities and universities for many years.
At UCLA, the Black Bruin Resource Center was launched in 2020 to “enhance, support and inspire UCLA Black and African diaspora communities.” The campus also has Latino graduation (formerly Laza graduates), which began in 1973. At Cal State La, there are student achievement programs for Asian Americans, Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. Since 1972, the University of Southern California has held its Latin graduate celebrations. Everyone says they are open to all students.
The department’s notice called this graduation ceremony “shameful”.
The University of California said in a statement that it was not concerned about the department’s actions on Sunday.
The letter “provides guidance on the interpretation of existing anti-discrimination laws by relevant departments and does not name any specific agencies,” the statement said. “It shows that OCR [Office of Civil Rights] These legal requirements are intended to be enforced. Given that UC adheres to Proposition 209, we do not use race-based preferences in practice. ”
In a statement released Monday, the letter was issued with Prime Minister California State University’s office overseeing 23 campus systems, saying the department’s actions were “unprecedented.”
“We are consulting with the California Attorney General and national higher education partners to better understand the letter’s statewide impact,” the statement said.
A comment with a spokesperson for the University of California and Stanford University was not possible.
Morgan Polikoff, a professor of education at the University of Southern California, said he saw the Trump administration’s move as “an excuse to pursue college.” He said the letter “far beyond” the Harvard affirmative action ruling. “But if universities change policies due to fear, they can do a lot of work even if the arguments written by dear colleagues are not watered.”
Edward Blum, founder of Fair Admissions Students – a group that won a lawsuit against Harvard’s affirmative action against him two years ago in a Supreme Court ruling – said the department’s message was the opening ceremony of a potential legal battle.
“The letter could be the prelude to a series of detailed directives that will determine the discriminatory policies and plans that the Department of Education will challenge in federal courts,” Bloom said. “It adopted the policy they consider racially neutral Public and private educational institutions will soon declare these policies as illegal racial agents.”
K-12 schools and higher education institutions have been on guard since President Trump’s inauguration on many issues affecting education, including Immigration law enforcement as well as Sports Transgender Students.
The president nominated former Small Business Administration executive and wrestling executive Linda McMahon as his education secretary and directed McMahon (not confirmed yet in the Senate) to “get himself out of work.”
Trump said he wanted to eliminate the department. McMahon said at a confirmation hearing last week that she and Trump “will work with Congress” to “put a plan that I think our senators can join, and our Congress will join.”
If the department is demolished, some of its functions may be transferred to other federal departments, including civil rights enforcement acting under the Department of Justice.
During the hearing, McMahon largely avoided concrete answers about diversity, equity and inclusion, while being questioned by Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).
“We have restored more isolation to schools, rather than adding more to schools,” McMahon said. “When there are DEI programs that say black students need separate graduation rituals or Hispanics need separate rituals, we and The goal we wanted to achieve was not achieved.”
Murphy mentioned that the Black Engineer Organization of the West Point American Military Academy was dissolved after Trump canceled the federal government’s DEI in the execution order. He asked McMahon Public Schools if they risked funding from similar DEI programs surrounding race or racial affiliation.
“I certainly don’t want to address the hypothetical situation today. I hope that once confirmed, to go into and evaluate these procedures, please see what is covered,” McMahon said.
The Ministry of Education issued a DEI letter the next day.
