WASHINGTON (AP) – Schools and colleges across the United States (US) face a deadline today to end diversity programmes or risk having their federal money pulled by the Trump administration, yet few are openly rushing to make changes. Many believe they’re on solid legal ground, and they know it would be all but unprecedented – and extremely time-consuming – for the government to cut off funding.
State officials in Washington and California urged schools not to make changes, saying it doesn’t change federal law and doesn’t require any action. New York City schools have taken the same approach and said district policies and curriculum have not changed.
Leaders of some colleges shrugged the memo off entirely. Antioch University‘s chief said “most of higher education” won’t comply with the memo unless federal law is changed.
Western Michigan University’s president told his campus to “please proceed as usual”.
A memo issued February 14 by US President Donald Trump’s administration, formally known as a Dear Colleague Letter, gave schools two weeks to halt any practice that treats people differently because of their race.
Opponents say it’s an overreach meant to have a chilling effect. The guidance appears to forbid everything from classroom lessons on racism to colleges’ efforts to recruit in diverse areas, and even voluntary student groups like Black student unions.
Education organisations have been urging a measured approach, warning institutions not to make any hasty cuts that would be difficult to undo. President of the American Council on Education Ted Mitchell is telling colleges that if they were in compliance with federal law before the memo, they still are.
“There’s nothing to act on until we see the administration or its agencies try to stop something,” Mitchell said. “And then we’ll have the argument.”
A loss of federal money would be devastating for schools and colleges, but imposing that penalty would not be quick or simple.
The Education Department office that conducts civil rights investigations had fewer than 600 employees last year – before the Trump administration began cutting staff – while the US has more than 18,000 school districts and 6,000 colleges.
Even when a school or state faces an investigation, it can take years to terminate funding.
Under former president Joe Biden, the Education Department tried to pull federal money from Michigan’s education agency after finding it violated the rights of students with disabilities.
