April 24 (UPI) — A federal judge on Thursday restricted the Trump administration from denying funds to public schools that participate in diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
The ruling, issued by New Hampshire federal Judge Landya McCafferty, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, is limited to schools that participate with the plaintiffs in the case, the National Education Association and the Center for Black Educator Development.
McCafferty said Trump’s action would “cripple the operations of many educational institutions,” and would constitute a violation of executive branch power in overseeing local school districts.
The NEA is the nation’s largest teachers union with more than 3 million members.
“The Department’s attempt to punish schools for acknowledging diversity, equity and inclusion is not only unconstitutional, but it’s also extremely dangerous — and functions as a direct misalignment with what we know to be just and future forward,” Sharif El-Mekki, Center for Black Educator Development CEO and founder, said in a statement.
“Today’s decision is a critical step toward protecting the freedom to teach and the freedom to learn.”
The suit was filed after the Trump administration demanded that public schools in all 50 states not participate in programs that violate its interpretation of what constitutes a violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
The Education Department pushed back against the lawsuit, saying public schools in the United States have embraced “pervasive and repugnant race-based preferences,” which “emanated throughout every facet of academia” and did so by holding the “false premise that the United States is built upon ‘systemic and structural racism.'”
The administration demanded that public schools comply with existing civil rights laws or risk losing potentially billions of dollars in federal aid earmarked for low-income students.
In her ruling, McCafferty also said the Trump administration’s definition of diversity, equity and inclusion is unlawful, and in “stark contrast to the dictionary definition of DEI.” She added that the administration’s stance is “inconsistent with the ordinary meaning of the phrase.”
Trump signed a flurry of executive orders in January that took aim at eliminating DEI programs at various institutions and government departments across the country.
