The U.S. Department of Education building is seen in Washington, Nov. 18, 2024. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)
It argues that a Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which found that affirmative action in Harvard University's admission process violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, should apply more broadly.
"The law is clear: treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent," the letter reads.
DEMS SPAR OVER DOGE CUTS WITH TRUMP EDUCATION NOMINEE LINDA MCMAHON
The U.S. Department of Education building in Washington, D.C. (STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
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The letter comes after President Donald Trump signed executive orders directing agencies to provide a plan to eliminate federal funding for "illegal and discriminatory treatment and indoctrination in K-12 schools, including based on gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology." He also signed orders to end DEI programs in federal agencies.
The Department of Education previously announced the removal of mention of DEI from documents and websites. The department also placed employees that led DEI initiatives on leave and dissolved its Diversity & Inclusion Council.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/department-education-warns-public-schools-must-remove-dei-policies-lose-federal-funding