New York Schools Decline To Comply With Trump Administration’s DEI Order

The state of New York is refusing to comply with the Trump administration’s demands to end DEI practices in public schools despite its threats to terminate federal education funding.

On Friday (April 4), Daniel Morton-Bentley, counsel and deputy commissioner of the state Department of Education, sent a letter to Trump’s Education Department, saying state officials don’t believe the agency has the authority to prohibit DEI, per the Associated Press.{snip}Morton-Bentley also noted that officials were “unaware” of the federal agency’s authority to demand that states agree with its interpretation of court decisions without a formal administrative process.

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“Federal financial assistance is a privilege, not a right,” Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a statement.

On Thursday, the Trump administration also asked state officials to sign a “reminder of legal obligations” acknowledging that federal money is reliant on compliance with federal civil rights laws.

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“Given the fact that you are already in possession of guarantees by NYSED that it has and will comply with Title VI, no further certification will be forthcoming,” he wrote.

* Original Article:

https://www.binnews.com/alternate/amp/2025-04-07-new-york-schools-decline-to-comply-with-trump-administrations-dei-order/