On March 17, 2025, a group of more than sixty civil rights organizations sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education calling on the federal agency to rescind its “Dear Colleague” letter issued on February 14, 2025, and the subsequent Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document to preschool, K-12 schools, and higher education institutions. The organizations assert that the “Dear Colleague” letter and FAQ, which threaten to terminate federal funding to schools that engage in diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts, propose a radical and inaccurate interpretation of federal civil rights law and threatens to undermine equal opportunity in education.
The organizations explain that the “Dear Colleague” letter and FAQ grossly misstate federal law in order to stop lawful efforts to ensure equal access to resources and opportunities for students — even as Black and Brown students continue to face unfair barriers in education. The organizations assert that the “Dear Colleague” letter cannot rewrite the U.S. Constitution, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other federal civil rights laws and emphasizes that unlawful attempts to withhold federal funding from schools can be challenged in court.
“The mission of the Department of Education is to ensure equal access to education for every individual,” said Legal Defense Fund Senior Policy Counsel and Co-Manager of the Equal Protection Initiative, Amalea Smirniotopoulos. “Yet the agency’s ‘Dear Colleague’ letter and FAQ undermines this goal, threatening Black students’ and every student’s ability to succeed and thrive. We implore the agency to do right by our nation’s students and rescind its unfounded guidance.”
“Your letter threatens to cut funding to schools that address barriers to equal educational opportunities and create learning environments where every student can thrive. The undersigned civil rights organizations have worked for decades to increase equal access to education for Black, Latino, Asian American, white, and Indigenous children; girls; children with disabilities; LGBTQ+ youth; and students with these intersecting identities. Your recent guidance will undo that progress. In order for U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (ED OCR) to fulfill its mission, you must reverse course,” the letter reads in part.
Access the full letter here.
The letter was issued by the following civil rights organizations: the Legal Defense Fund (LDF); Advancing Justice | AAJC; LatinoJustice PRLDEF; The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; National Center for Lesbian Rights; National Women’s Law Center; Advocates for Trans Equality; African American Policy Forum; American Association of University Women (AAUW); American Atheists; American Humanist Association; Arab American Institute (AAI); Asbury United Methodist Church—DC; Asian Pacific American Public Affairs (APAPA); Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education; Autistic Self Advocacy Network; Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network; Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law; Chinese for Affirmative Action; Clearinghouse on Women’s Issues; Deb Dagit Diversity LLC; Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund; EdTrust; Education Law Center-PA; Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC); Equal Justice Society; Equal Rights Advocates; Equality California; Faithful Democracy; Feminist Majority Foundation; Fund for Leadership, Equity, Access and Diversity (LEAD Fund); Human Rights Campaign; Human Rights First; Japanese American Citizens League; Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA); Just Solutions; Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; MALDEF; Minority Business Enterprise Legal Defense and Education Fund (MBELDEF); NAACP; National Action Network; National Bar Association; National Center for Youth Law; National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA); National Korean American Service and Education Consortium; National Organization for Women; National Partnership for Women & Families; National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance; National Urban League; NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice; OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates; PAVE; Poverty & Race Research Action Council (PRRAC); Public Justice; Race Forward; Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights; SEPAG; Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC); Southern Poverty Law Center; Springfield Food Policy Council; Stop AAPI Hate; and The Sikh Coalition.
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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation’s first civil rights law organization. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Please note that LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights.
