Reps. Lee, Clarke, Bonamici Urge Dept. of Ed. to Rescind Demand that State Education Agencies Certify Compliance with Attack on Marginalized Students
**For Immediate Release**
Reps. Lee, Clarke, Bonamici Urge Dept. of Ed. to Rescind Demand that State Education Agencies Certify Compliance with Attack on Marginalized Students
Letter Follows Lawmakers Continued Calls to Dept. of Education on Guidance and Federal Funding
WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 23, 2025 — Today, Congresswoman Summer Lee (PA-12), a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (NY-09), and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) led their colleagues in calling on the Department of Education to rescind its April 3rd demand that State Education Agencies sign a certification of compliance with eliminating programs and activities related to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility as a condition of receiving federal K-12 funding, including Title I. This comes after Rep. Lee and colleagues have sent previous letters on February 27th and April 10th to the Department of Education on their initial threat.
“This letter is yet another attempt by this Administration to dismantle educational opportunities for the most marginalized students and divest from public education as a pillar of democracy. It is unthinkable that the Department of Education is dedicating its drastically reduced resources and capacity—as the agency is being dismantled without Congressional approval—to weaponize civil rights enforcement,” the lawmakers wrote.
The Department of Education sent letters to State Commissioners overseeing K-12 State Education Agencies (SEAs) requiring them to certify their compliance with the Department’s misinterpretation of civil rights laws that is not only inconsistent with legal precedent, but would disproportionately harm marginalized students.SEAs are already required to comply with anti-discrimination laws.
“Given these concerns, we stand in full support of State and Local Education Agencies that refuse to sign this new certification of compliance. As State Education Agencies like those in Pennsylvania, Oregon, and New York have explained, states and districts are already required to comply with the law—including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, and national origin—and have already certified their intention to comply with civil rights laws in their approved Every Student Succeeds Act plans,” the lawmakers continued.
In addition to the Reps. Lee, Bonamici, and Clarke, the letter is signed by Representatives Becca Balint (VA), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Shontel Brown (OH-11), Greg Casar (TX-35), Judy Chu (CA-28), Gilbert Cisneros (CA-39), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Danny K. Davis (IL-09), Diana DeGette (CO-01), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-03), Cleo Fields (LA-06), Jesús Chuy García (IL-04), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Henry “Hank” Johnson (GA-04), Robin Kelly (IL-02), John Larson (CT-01), Doris Matsui (CA-07), Betty McCollum (MN-04), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Jerold Nadler (NY-12), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Linda Sánchez (CA-38), Janice Schakowsky (IL-09), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Mark Takano (CA-41), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Marc Veasey (TX-33), Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NY-12), Nikema Williams (GA-05), and Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24).
The letter is endorsed by American Federation of Teachers (AFT), National Education Association (NEA), NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), and EdTrust.
A copy of the letter can be found 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 3,000 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.