Donald Trump's DEI Crackdown Dealt Blow in Michigan

President Donald Trump's aggressive campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in public schools has been dealt a blow in Michigan.

Why It Matters

In a February memo, 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.

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 or lose federal funding, according to the memo, which said schools had "toxically indoctrinated students" with the idea that the U.S. was built on "systemic and structural racism." Michigan has said it will not comply with the order.

What To Know

Last week, the Department of Education gave state education agencies 10 days to sign a certification that they were in compliance with the administration's interpretation of federal civil rights law.

Michael Rice, Michigan's superintendent of public instruction, said on Thursday that the state was already in compliance with federal civil rights laws, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race or shared ancestry. Rice emphasized that the state regularly certified its compliance and believed that all local education agencies had done the same.

The Trump administration's certification request builds on a broader effort to dismantle DEI initiatives in public education. Citing the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which struck down affirmative action in college admissions, the administration argues that many K-12 DEI programs now run afoul of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a news release on April 3 that DEI initiatives often "discriminate against one group of Americans to favor another based on identity characteristics."

Rice strongly disputed that characterization, saying Michigan's DEI efforts—including inclusive curricula and federally mandated services such as special education—were lawful and essential.

"Pre-K-12 programs that promote diversity representing all children, regardless of race, and inclusion of all children, regardless of race, do not inherently harm particular groups of children and are not de facto violations of Title VI," Rice wrote in a memo to local school leaders on Thursday.

Local district leaders echoed that sentiment. Nikolai Vitti, the superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District, told Chalkbeat that the district did not use race-based preferences or quotas and was therefore not in violation of federal law.

Michigan is not alone in its refusal to sign the certification.

Top education officials in Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois have also declined to sign, arguing—like Rice—that their states were already compliant with federal civil rights requirements.

Wisconsin has said it will not comply with the directive to eliminate DEI programs until districts receive more information.

Meanwhile, the Indiana Department of Education has announced it will sign the certification and collect similar affirmations from its local schools.

What People Are Saying

Michael Rice, Michigan's superintendent of public instruction, wrote in a memo dated April 10: "Many efforts to promote programs that support diversity and inclusion seek to expand opportunities, not limit them, and therefore do not discriminate."

Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a news release on February 15: "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."

What Happens Next

The federal deadline for states to sign the certification is April 24.