WASHINGTON — The U.S. Education Department may pull federal funding from K-12 school districts that don’t comply with the Trump administration’s antidiscrimination policies.

In a letter to state commissioners overseeing education agencies, the department said districts will need to certify their compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and a recent court ruling banning affirmative action in admissions.

What You Need To Know

  • In a letter to state commissioners overseeing education agencies, the U.S. Education Department said districts will need to certify their compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and a recent court ruling banning affirmative action in admissions

  • “Federal financial assistance is a privilege, not a right,” Education Department acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said in a statement

  • Title VI prohibits discrimination based on race, color and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance

  • The letter gives state education agencies 10 days to collect compliance responses from local school districts and sign and return a certification form

“Federal financial assistance is a privilege, not a right,” Education Department acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said in a statement. 

“When state education commissioners accept federal funds, they agree to abide by federal antidiscrimination requirements. Unfortunately, we have seen too many schools flout or outright violate these obligations, including by using DEI programs to discriminate against one group of Americans to favor another based on identity characteristics in clear violation of Title VI.”

Title VI prohibits discrimination based on race, color and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance, according to the Justice Department.

As a rationale for states' compliance, the department cited the 2023 Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which found that the school’s race-conscious admissions policy violated the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause.

The Education Department letter gives state education agencies 10 days to collect compliance responses from local school districts and to sign and return a certification form.

The federal government provides 13.6% of funding for public K-12 education, according to the Education Data Initiative.