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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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Michigan is not planning to abandon diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in public schools yet, after the Trump administration ordered educational institutions to end them within two weeks or risk losing federal funding.
Why It Matters
In a memo on Friday, the Department of Education gave schools and universities two weeks to comply with the Trump administration's interpretation of federal civil rights law and eliminate diversity initiatives.
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The memo said education institutions must stop using "racial preferences and stereotypes" as a factor in admissions, financial aid, hiring, scholarships and other areas, citing the Supreme Court's 2023 decision barring race as a factor in college admissions.
Institutions that fail to comply may face investigation and lose federal funding, according to the memo, which said schools have "toxically indoctrinated students" with the idea that the U.S. is built on "systemic and structural racism."
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What To Know
State Superintendent Michael Rice said in a statement provided to Newsweek that the Michigan Department of Education is reviewing the Friday memo from the Department of Education with legal counsel.
"While the review will take time, MDE continues to support diversity in literature, comprehensive history instruction, and broad recruitment to Grow Your Own programs for students and support staff to become teachers," Rice said.
"MDE disagrees that pre-K-12 programs that promote diversity representing all children, regardless of race, and inclusion of all children, regardless of race, inherently harm particular groups of children and are de facto violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964."
What People Are Saying
Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a statement: "For decades, schools have been operating on the pretext that selecting students for 'diversity' or similar euphemisms is not selecting them based on race. No longer. Students should be assessed according to merit, accomplishment and character—not prejudged by the color of their skin. The Office for Civil Rights will enforce that commitment."
Pamela Pugh, the president of the Michigan Board of Education and a Democrat, told Bridge Michigan that the "intention of these threats ... is to cause chaos."
"This is impacting individuals and businesses and people who offer services within the education system. When we talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion, yes, we mean inclusivity. When we talk about our special education children, when we talk about differently-abled people in general, this will confuse and impact those populations as well," Pugh said.
Nikki Snyder, a Republican on the Michigan Board of Education, told Newsweek: "I am looking forward to public education and our higher education systems being sent a very clear message: You are no longer allowed to teach our students that superiority and oppression is a racial quality rather than a human quality any person is capable of. It divides us and encourages discrimination."
Snyder added: "I am also looking forward to taking the dollars that currently feed the DEI business machine of six figure salaried professionals spreading this discriminatory message and reinvesting them in our students directly, especially in improving literacy rates and areas where students need increased access to education."
What Happens Next
The federal Department of Education said it "intends to take appropriate measures to assess compliance" no later than 14 days from the memo's insurance.
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