Civil Rights Groups Condemn Department of Education Final Rule Weakening Civil Rights Protections for Students
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WASHINGTON – Today, 60 civil rights and education organizations issued the following joint statement condemning the U.S. Department of Education’s removal of the disparate impact tool from the agency’s regulation under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The groups call for the immediate reinstatement and robust enforcement of this crucial provision to protect students from systemic discrimination based on race, color, and national origin.
“Every student, no matter their background, has the right to pursue their education free from discrimination. Today’s action has no basis in law or morality. It is further evidence that this administration is determined to undermine our laws, abandon civil rights enforcement, and deny the existence of systemic discrimination. For decades, courts have acknowledged that discrimination is not always explicit or overt. The disparate impact tool is designed to remove unjustified barriers in education and ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to learn and succeed. Examples may include school discipline or school closure policies that appear neutral but unfairly and disproportionately harm or disadvantage Black and Native American students, as well as Latino and Asian American and Pacific Islander students, while ignoring alternatives that better serve all students. While undermining civil rights protections is never justified, the Department’s move to overhaul these anti-discrimination regulations without even providing the public with an opportunity to comment is indefensible.
"The rescission will hurt Black, Latino, Asian American, and Native American students, other students of color, and other marginalized students who face higher rates of discrimination. And it will clear the way for discrimination that too often deprives students of equal educational opportunity based on race, color, and national origin. We strongly oppose the Department’s rescission and urge the Department to reinstate the disparate impact tool and take seriously their legal mandate under Title VI to prevent and address racial discrimination in our schools.”
SIGNERS
Advancement Project
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Legal Defense Fund
National Center for Youth Law
National Women’s Law Center
Advocates for Youth
Advocating 4 Kids Inc
AFT: Education, Healthcare, Public Services
Alliance for Children’s Rights
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
American Humanist Association
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Arab American Institute (AAI)
Asian American Advocacy Fund
Brown's Promise
Center for Racial and Economic Justice, UC Law SF
CenterLink
Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights
Clearinghouse on Women's Issues
ED-OCR Alumni Collective
EdTrust
Education Law Center
Education Law Center-PA
Equal Justice Society
Equal Rights Advocates
Equality California
Family Voices NJ
Feminist Majority Foundation
Fund for Leadership Equity Access and Diversity (LEAD Fund)
Gibson-Banks Center for Race and the Law, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law
Grantmakers in the Arts
HenderWorks, Inc.
Honesty for Ohio Education
Impact Fund
Integrated Community Solutions, Inc
Kamora's Cultural Corner
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
McHaelen Consulting Services, LLC
Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing
National Action Network
National Association of Social Workers
National Black Justice Collective
Out Accountability Project
Public Advocates
Public Justice
SPAN Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN)
State Wide Education Organizing Committee
Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT)
Texas Appleseed
The Advocacy Institute
The Collective for Liberatory Lawyering
The Community Equity Initiative
The Federal School Discipline and Climate Coalition (FedSDC)
The Southern Poverty Law Center
Triangle Community Center
West Hartford Pride (CT)
Women Employed