MARYLAND NEWS – Teachers union sued Trump’s administration over the deadline to end DEI programs

Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer

A new lawsuit in Maryland is challenging a memo made by the Trump administration giving the nation’s schools and universities two weeks to eliminate “race-based” practices of any kind that risked losing their federal money. The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday by the American Federation of Teachers Union and the American Sociological Association says the Education Department’s February 14 memo violates freedom of speech. The organization says the directive from the Trump administration is so vague that schools will have no guidance on what practices cross the line. In a statement issued by the organization said, “This letter radically upends and re-writes otherwise well-established jurisprudence,” the lawsuit said. “No federal law prevents teaching about race and race-related topics, and the Supreme Court has not banned efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in education.” The memo orders schools and universities to stop any practice that treats people differently because of their race. They were given a deadline of this Friday as a justification. The memo also cites a Supreme Court decision banning the use of race in college admissions, saying that the ruling applies broadly to all federally funded education.