The School Superintendents Association (AASA), which represents the leaders of school districts across the country, told its members to ignore the Trump administration’s memorandum telling schools to end their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs or risk losing federal funding.
AASA told its members to ignore the guidance in a Monday blog post, relying on courts to stop the Trump administration’s reforms and a “long-drawn out process for rescinding funding for failure to comply with civil rights laws.”
“It seems unwise for the professional association for superintendents to advise its members to continue flouting longstanding federal law — perhaps many of them aren’t aware of what has happened on their watch, but countless superintendents are currently governing school districts whose policies and practices directly violate the 1964 Civil Rights Act,” Erika Sanzi, director of outreach at…
