State Superintendent Chris Reykdal announced that Washington school district should not make changes to policies, practices and programming related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued a letter claiming that DEI programs are discriminatory and illegal.
The letter adds that the Department of Education will begin assessing compliance with laws and regulations based on the position of the letter. Anyone found out of compliance risks losing federal funding.
Superintendent Reykdal says the letter does not hold the power of law and state law prohibits discrimination or preferential treatment in public education to anyone based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin.
“There are legal paths for the federal government to restrict federal funding, and a Dear Colleague Letter is not one of those paths,” Reykdal said in a statement. “My team at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is continuing to stay closely engaged with the Attorney General’s Office, and we are considering our legal options if any federal dollars are frozen or removed from Washington’s K–12 school system based on the letter.”
You can find the full statement from Superintendent Reykdal here.
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