Minnesota has joined a coalition of 19 states in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its threat to withhold federal funding from K-12 schools that maintain diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes. The legal challenge confronts a federal directive issued earlier this month which warned states that they could lose federal funding unless they certified the elimination of DEI initiatives in their public school systems.

Attorney General Keith Ellison of Minnesota addressed the media, stating, “Not only are these threats to withhold funding in violation of the law, they’re in violation of what we value here in Minnesota and the ideals of this country and what we strive for every day.” The lawsuit asserts that the administration’s order to terminate DEI programmes represents a “vague, confusing, and incorrect interpretation of Title VI” of the Civil Rights Act. Furthermore, it contends that the threat to cut funding unlawfully jeopardises more than $13.8 billion allocated for educating young people nationwide.

The states involved in the suit maintain that they are already in compliance with longstanding federal civil rights requirements and routinely certify such compliance. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, also involved in the multistate lawsuit, emphasised the states’ interest in securing the continuation of federally mandated education funds. He said, “We also, as states, have a separate strong and unique interest in ensuring that these billions of dollars in congressionally mandated education funds continue to flow to our state and our local education agencies.”

Significantly, this multistate lawsuit follows a recent decision by a federal judge who blocked a separate lawsuit filed by the National Education Association and the American Civil Liberties Union. That previous case had similarly challenged the Trump administration’s directives threatening to cut funding for public schools with DEI programmes.

In Minnesota specifically, at least $530 million in federal education funding is at risk as a result of the administration’s stance. The state’s Department of Education noted that Minnesota has yet to receive its federal fiscal year 2025 funding allocation, which was approved by Congress in March. A spokesperson for the Department of Education said, “We have heard that federal program officers do not yet have the information from OMB to move forward,” and added that the ongoing uncertainty and instability is detrimental to the ability of schools to plan their budgets and serve their students effectively.

The Austin Daily Herald is reporting on this development regarding Minnesota’s efforts to protect federal education funding against federal attempts to restrict DEI programmes in schools.

Source: Noah Wire Services