Lee, Booker, Blumenthal, Bonamici Urge DOE, OCR to Rescind Guidance on Inclusive Classrooms
**For Immediate Release**
Lee, Booker, Blumenthal, Bonamici Urge DOE, OCR to Rescind Guidance on Inclusive Classrooms
WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 10, 2025 — Congresswoman Summer Lee (PA-12), a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, along with Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), led their colleges in writing a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor calling for the Department of Education (ED) to immediately rescind their guidance on inclusive classrooms.
“In February, OCR’s DCL threatened to rescind federal funding from any school, district, or state that seeks to create inclusive classrooms. Although ED published the March FAQ ostensibly to clarify this guidance, the FAQ document spreads misinformation by falsely suggesting, without evidence, that social and emotional learning (SEL) and culturally responsive teaching are discriminatory,” the lawmakers wrote.
SEL and culturally responsive teaching are both evidence-based educational practices that create supportive environments, help students build social and emotional skills, and promote student engagement and academic achievement in the classroom.
“Although we have numerous significant concerns with the substance and content of OCR’s recent guidance, we write specifically to express our opposition to the guidance provided in Question 8 of the FAQ, which falsely claims that “schools have sought to veil discriminatory policies with terms like ‘social-emotional learning’ or ‘culturally responsive’ teaching,” and suggests such curricula are discriminatory under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. This erroneous guidance contradicts scientific evidence, prior OCR guidance, and long-standing state and local laws and practices,” the lawmakers continued.
The Department of Education’s guidance seeks to override state and district leadership over curriculum despite Congress and numerous federal laws specifically prohibiting federal involvement in curriculum decisions.
“Because of the strong, established evidence that supports schools’ use of SEL and culturally responsive teaching, we strongly urge OCR to immediately rescind the February 14th Dear Colleague Letter and March 1st FAQ, both of which undermine OCR’s long-standing guidance and threaten critical funding that supports students nationwide,” the lawmakers concluded
The letter is endorsed by the following organizations: CASEL, National Association for College Admission Counseling, National Science Teaching Association, Educators for Excellence, International Literacy Association, National Parents Union, National Association of School Psychologists, American Federation of School Administrators, and Social Emotional Learning Alliance for the United States.
The letter is cosigned by U.S. Senators Andy Kim (D-NJ), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and U.S. Representatives Delia Ramirez (D-IL-03), Betty McCollum (D-MN-04), Andrea Salinas (D-OR-06), Danny Davis (D-IL-07), Terri Sewell (D-AL-07), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL-01), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04), Bennie Thompson (D-MS-02), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY-07), Dwight Evans (D-PA-03), Chellie Pingree (D-ME-03), Shri Thanedar (D-MI-13), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), and Joyce Beatty (D-OH-03).
Read the full letter [here].
Congresswoman Summer Lee serves on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Committee on Education and the Workforce. Since taking office in January 2023, she has delivered historic levels of federal investment totaling over $2.4 Billion brought back to Western PA, including over $580 million for infrastructure, over $110 million for affordable transit, over $500 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania, and over $55 million on clean energy efforts in and around schools to help keep our kids and communities safe. These investments will help improve Western Pennsylvania’s infrastructure and transit, ensure cleaner air and drinking water, lower housing costs, fund research institutions, fuel clean manufacturing, fund STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, boost workforce development, and create thousands of good paying union jobs. Lee and her team have also delivered casework and constituent services to over 3,400 constituents with issues ranging from helping our seniors and disabled community access Medicare and social security to helping folks secure housing and helping families with immigration support and passports.