A teachers union on Tuesday sued to block a Trump administration policy that would withhold federal funds from schools that teach lessons about systemic racism and other so-called diversity, equity and inclusion topics.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Maryland by the American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association, asked a judge to declare the policy unconstitutional and bar federal officials from enforcing the directive, which was laid out in a Feb. 14 Department of Education memo.
AFT, a nationwide union, represents more than a million educators.
The lawsuit is the latest legal challenge to executive orders by President Donald Trump seeking to end DEI programs in the federal government and the private sector.
Trump and his Republican allies assert that DEI programs are anti-merit and discriminatory against white people and men. Rights groups say they help uplift marginalized communities by addressing historic inequities.
The new lawsuit said the Education Department’s directive would hamper equal access to education and have “devastating impacts” on schools by denying students opportunities to “hone their critical thinking skills and expand their worldview.”