State education officials will be required to verify that they have eliminated all programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion that the administration deems unlawful, according to a new memo.
The Trump administration threatened on Thursdays to withhold federal funding from public schools unless state education officials verified the elimination of all programs that it said unfairly promoted diversity, equity and inclusion.
In a memo sent to top public education officials across the country, the Education Department said that funding for schools with high percentages of low-income students, known as Title I funding, was at risk pending compliance with the administration’s directive.
[nota bene— Objects in the mirror may be Whiter than you think but they are all children who deserve a proper education.]
- White Students: The highest percentage of students in Title I schools are White students (48%).
- Hispanic or Latino Students: Hispanic or Latino students make up 21% of the student population in Title I schools.
- Black or African American Students: Black or African American students account for 13% of the student population in Title I schools. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2020/2020103/index.asp
The memo included a certification letter that state and local school officials must sign and return to the department within 10 days, even as the administration has struggled to define which programs would violate its interpretation of civil rights laws. The move is the latest in a series of Education Department directives aimed at carrying out President Trump’s political agenda in the nation’s schools….
At her confirmation hearing in February, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said schools should be allowed to celebrate the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But she was more circumspect when asked whether classes that focused on Black history ran afoul of Mr. Trump’s agenda and should be banned.
“I’m not quite certain,” Ms. McMahon said, “and I’d like to look into it further.”
Connect the Dots 101 
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