New York officials have told the Trump administration they won’t follow their demands that they end it. Diversity, equity, and inclusive practices Despite the administration’s threat to end federal education funding in public schools.
Daniel Morton Bentley, a counsel and deputy committee member for the state Department of Education, said in a letter dating back to the Federal Education Office on Friday that state officials do not believe federal agencies have the authority to make such requests.
“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.”
Morton Bentley also wrote that state officials “do not realize” the federal department of education must request that the state agree to interpret the court’s decision or terminate funds without a formal management process.
The U.S. Department of Education did not immediately respond to email requests for comment.
Trump administration on Thursday I ordered a K-12 school Nationwide Prove Within 10 days of pursuing federal civil rights laws and ending discriminatory DEI practices as a condition for receiving federal funds.
“Federal financial aid is a privilege, not a right,” a trainer for Craig, the assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a statement when demand was created. He said many schools downplay their legal obligations by “including using the DEI program to include discriminating against one group of Americans and supporting another.”
The accreditation request asked state leaders and school leaders to sign a “legal obligation reminder” that would allow federal funds to be conditioned on compliance with federal civil rights laws. It also requires compliance with a few pages of legal analysis written by the administration.
This demand is particularly threatening Title I funding, sending billions of dollars a year to American schools, targeting low-income areas.
Morton-Bentley writes that the state Department of Education has multiple times certified to the federal government for compliance with Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. He said it was based on a request that the Federal Bureau terminate the DEI program based on false legal interpretations.
“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 also said the administration’s stance was a “sudden shift” from what was originally filmed by the Trump administration, citing then-Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who commented in 2020, that diversity and inclusion were the “cornerstones of high organizational performance.” He wrote that the administration did not explain why it changed position.
Critics of the certification request said it was inconsistent with Trump’s promise to return education to schools and states.
The Trump administration is the threat of financial sanctions Utilization for universities It is said that it is considered anti-Semitism in efforts to crack down on protests against Israel.
New York has similarly refused to comply with the Trump administration’s request to shut down a program that funds mass transport in New York City, which has high tolls for vehicles to Manhattan.
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