Washington’s school Superintendent Chris Reykdal said he was not surprised to see a federal judge blocking the Trump administration’s directives that threaten to cut federal funding for public schools with diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Reykdal staunchly agrees with the multiple lawsuits, one from the National Education Association and the American Civil Liberties Union and another from the American Federation of Teachers in Maryland, that argue the administration is violating teachers’ First Amendment rights, giving “unconstitutionally vague” guidance and limiting academic freedom.
“I personally believe from day one that it’s a violation of freedom of expression and it steps all over the rights of states to establish their own civil rights work,” Reykdal said Thursday.
In February, the U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to state education agencies saying schools had promoted DEI efforts that unfairly harmed white and Asian American students, citing a 2023 Supreme Court decision that banned race-based affirmative action in college admissions.
While the Supreme Court case did not address K-12 schools, the Trump administration argues it is illegal to consider race in schools in any way, including programs that provide extra academic support for students of color.
“(The federal government keeps) pointing to the Harvard case which was about their perception of quotas in admissions. That doesn’t exist in our state, it doesn’t exist in our K-12 world at all,” Reykdal said. “So we’re not going to walk away from teaching authentic history or supporting our students with disabilities or any of our DEI and equity work.”
At the start of April, the federal education department threatened to withhold federal money from any state education agency that didn’t certify that schools would not implement DEI programs. States had until Thursday to comply.
About a week after receiving the order, Reykdal wrote back saying states have the authority to adopt their own learning standards, curriculum and instructional materials. Washington already submitted the mandatory assurances that the state follows the legal mandates of Title VI, he wrote.
Sixteen states have similarly declined to sign the certification, according to Education Week.
The federal government hasn’t responded to the resistance, Reykdal said Thursday.
Because the Trump administration hasn’t defined what it means by diversity and inclusion, it is “wasting everyone’s time and resources at the federal, state and local level when we have really big issues that this White House and federal agencies could be focused on,” Reykdal said Thursday.
Title I, the largest source of federal funding for K-12 schools, is a federal grant program that supports districts and schools with higher percentages of students from low-income families. Title I made up almost 16% of total federal funds received by Washington school districts in the 2023-24 school year, including funds received for meals, Medicaid and grants, according to the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Almost all districts in the state receive some Title I funding, but the amount varies depending on districts’ needs. In some rural areas, federal funding constitutes more than one-third of school districts’ budgets.
