The United States of America has been prescribed aggressive treatment by the Trump administration to rid the federal government (and the country) of the disease of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
Just two days after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the Department of Education (ED) launched its first salvo against the cancer of DEI and on Feb. 14, the ED issued a “Dear Colleague” letter making it crystal clear that schools violating the Constitution and civil rights laws — by using race as a factor in decision-making — could lose federal funding.
Basically, DEI programs are sitting across the long conference table and Trump just said, “you’re fired.”
Parents across the country are rallying behind President Trump, alerting his administration to school districts that continue to operate outside the bounds of merit-based and race neutral education, in hopes that the scourge of DEI in K-12 schools can be eradicated by the man they elected to do just that.
Portland Public Schools, Oregon
Take Portland Public Schools (PPS), for example. On March 3, 2025, Parents Defending Education (PDE) filed a civil rights complaint against PPS for its establishment of the Center for Black Student Excellence (CBSE), a racially exclusive program offering mentorship, community engagement and specific academic services. Yes, you read that right, an academic program that separates students based on their skin color.
PPS’ racially exclusive program not only violates the Trump Department of Education’s guidance against using race as a factor in educational decision-making, it also contradicts Supreme Court rulings on racial segregation. A similar program at Los Angeles Unified School District in California titled the “Black Student Achievement Plan” was revised in 2024 after a civil rights complaint was sent to former President Joe Biden’s ED. If these types of programs were seen as discriminatory by Biden’s ED, then they are absolutely unacceptable to America, and Trump’s ED has the power to shut them down once and for all.
Chicago Public Schools, Illinois
Next, we have Chicago Public Schools (CPS). PDE’s complaint against CPS highlights their “Black Student Success Plan,” a program that likely violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prevents federal funds from going toward programs that discriminate on the basis of race.
Even more scandalous than this race-specific programming, the plan reveals that Chicago students of all races struggle academically, meaning CPS is failing ALL students no matter their skin color. According to CPS’ own slide presentation, Latino students are faring worse than black students yet they are excluded from this race based “Student Success Plan.” This isn’t just racial favoritism — it’s an outright failure of the education system.
San Leandro Unified School District, California
In California, PDE has filed a civil rights complaint against San Leandro Unified School District for its partnership with the Kingmakers of Oakland, a race-focused organization that runs racially exclusive programs for teachers. This is yet another example of how DEI is poisoning our schools by using race as a criterion for who gets access to resources and opportunities.
Ending this discriminatory programming that contributes to the racist “oppressor vs oppressed” mentality of DEI is plainly the right thing to do. American parents know that schools should be focused on what truly matters — academic excellence, not skin color. The Trump ED has the chance to stand with those parents to make our schools great again.
In the first month of the Trump administration, parents have seen an unwavering commitment to restoring merit-based education and eliminating divisive and discriminatory DEI policies. By continuing to hold schools accountable for race-based programs and ensuring that federal funds are only used to support initiatives that promote equality of opportunity, not identity-based segregation, the administration can save our schools from an agenda that undermines the values that make America great.
Paul Runko is the Director of Strategic Initiatives, K-12 Programs for Parents Defending Education. Paul has many years of experience in media as well as in education. He is the father of two.
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