Last week, the Trump Administration issued a two-week deadline for K12 and higher education institutions to scrap all diversity, equity and inclusion programming or lose federal funding. Here’s how public education is responding.
Michigan State Superintendent Michael Rice said that reviewing the Office for Civil Rights’ “Dear Colleague” letter will take some time. For now, the state’s public schools will continue to “support diversity in literature, comprehensive history instruction, and broad recruitment to Grow Your Own programs,” he said in a public statement.
“MDE disagrees that pre-K12 programs that promote diversity representing all children, regardless of race, and inclusion of all children, regardless of race, inherently harm particular groups of children and are de facto violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” Rice added.
Similarly, the Connecticut State Department of Education Spokesperson Matthew Cerrone told CT Insider that the department is currently reviewing the letter and will communicate its plans with districts upon completion.
Patrice McCarthy, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education also told the news outlet that the letter is simply “an effort to create chaos.” Ultimately, she believes Connecticut and other state education leaders will continue their commitment to equal education for all.
“What I know is that schools are committed in Connecticut to making sure that all students and staff feel safe, that they feel that they belong, and that there’s a culture in the school that supports all students, and whatever we call that might not be the critical issue, but supporting students and staff is the critical issue,” she said.
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However, Maricopa County School Superintendent Shelli Boggs issued a letter to schools notifying them that her office will be “monitoring compliance and assisting with the transition away from DEI policies,” according to the statement.
She also wrote that DEI has been used against students, teachers and parents as a means for division rather than fostering equal opportunity.
“Schools should be places of learning, not ideological indoctrination,” she said. “Education must return to its fundamental purpose—teaching students the skills they need to succeed—not promoting political agendas that undermine academic excellence.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Statement on Superintendent Boggs’ Letter to Schools on DEI Compliance
Statement⤵️ pic.twitter.com/wpVjnocnzR
— Maricopa County School Superintendent Shelli Boggs (@mcschoolsup) February 19, 2025
Higher ed, too, is scrambling to find the correct answer in response to the letter as many leaders contend that their admissions processes already avoid race-based preferences. In a statement, the University of California suggested it does not foresee any compliance issues regarding the new policy.
The letter “provides guidance on the department’s interpretation of existing anti-discrimination laws and does not name any specific instruction,” the statement reads. “It indicates how OCR intends to enforce these legal requirements. Given the UC’s compliance with Proposition 209, we do not use race-based pretenses in our own practices.”
California State University Office of the Chancellor, which oversees the 23-campus system, also said that the letter is “unprecedented.”
“We are consulting with the California Attorney General and higher education partners across the country to better understand the statewide impact of this letter,” the statement reads.
