As the federal government threatens funding cuts over school diversity programs, California says it already complies with federal law and that the Trump administration’s actions are illegal.
Meanwhile, many Southern California school districts are echoing the state’s stance, with some saying they never received a letter from federal officials.
Thursday, April 24, is the deadline from the U.S. Department of Education for K-12 districts to certify they are complying with the federal interpretation of Title VI or risk losing federal funding. Title VI is part of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that bars discrimination based on race, color or national origin.
The Trump administration wants to ensure public schools are following federal civil rights laws and ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Earlier this month, Craig Trainor, the administration’s acting assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a statement that many schools have flouted their legal obligations, “including by using DEI programs to discriminate against one group of Americans to favor another.”
It’s the latest move by the administration to check on DEI programs. It launched an “End DEI Portal” in February for parents to report if school districts are discriminating against students based on race or sex, a Feb. 27 U.S. Department of Education news release states.
The California Department of Education sent an April 11 letter to the federal government saying the state has already certified it will abide by federal civil rights law for the 2024-25 school year. State officials also contend the threat to withhold federal dollars is illegal.
Representatives of several Southern California districts said they believed the state would handle the issue. A state department of education spokesperson could not be reached to answer questions but pointed to the office’s April 11 response to the federal government.
An April 3 notice from the U.S. Department of Education gives states and schools until Thursday, April 24, to sign and return a certification.
That certification asks state and school leaders to sign a “reminder of legal obligations” acknowledging that their federal money comes on the condition that they comply with federal civil rights laws. It also demands compliance with several pages of legal analysis written by the administration.
The certification followed a Feb. 14 memo declaring that any school policy that treats students or staff differently because of their race is illegal. It aimed to fight what the memo described as widespread discrimination in education, often against White and Asian American students.
At least one Southern California school district has complied.
The Chino Valley Unified School District in San Bernardino County — which is led by a conservative board — signed the documents and returned them, district spokesperson Andrea Johnston said.
Chino Valley received more than $18 million in federal funding in the 2024-25 school year, Johnston said.
The Chino Valley board has a conservative majority led by President Sonja Shaw, who recently announced a 2026 run for California’s superintendent of schools post.
The board has made national headlines for conservative policies such as a parent notification policy requiring schools to inform parents if a child changes their school record, which would include changing one’s pronouns. The policy has been criticized by foes who say it targets LGBTQ+ students.
In Orange County, some school districts say they haven’t been asked to make changes ahead of the deadline, and for now, they’re not planning to.
The Capistrano Unified School District, the county’s largest, hasn’t received any formal request to certify its compliance and “would need more details in order to do so,” spokesperson Ryan Burris said.
Similarly, the Orange Unified School District received no directive requiring program changes or materials. The district follows guidance from the state and county departments of education and is focused on supporting “the academic success and well-being of all students,” spokesperson Hana Brake said.
“If any official guidance is issued, we will thoroughly review it to ensure our practices comply with all relevant laws and regulations,” Brake said.
The Orange County Department of Education confirmed it has been monitoring the federal government’s request, though it didn’t directly receive the certification request letter. The department regularly certifies that it complies with federal laws as a condition of receiving funding and has already submitted assurances for the 2024–25 school year, Superintendent Stefan Bean said.
The department’s legal office issued guidance to districts affirming those existing assurances remain in effect.
Los Angeles Unified School District, is the largest school district in California, with more than 640,000 students and is the second largest in the United States.
A district spokesperson said that, while the request is similar to other certifications, officials would continue to follow the lead of the state.
In the Inland Empire, officials at other districts said they remained committed to serving all students, regardless of race and are complying with civil rights laws.
The Riverside Unified School District received the federal letter but officials believed it implied that the state Department of Education would handle the issue, spokesperson Liz Pinney-Muglia said.
Some checked with the state.
“We have been in communication with the California Department of Education to ensure that our programs and services are in line with the State of California’s Education Code,” Craig Petinak, spokesperson for the Riverside County Office of Education, said in a Monday, April 21, email.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
