Washington public schools official pushes back against Trump admin's demand to dump DEI

Washington’s superintendent of public schools is pushing back against the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights' request for states to certify their compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as well as the landmark Supreme Court ruling striking down affirmative action.

In a statement, Chris Reykdal called the request "the latest attack against the rights of states to have civil rights frameworks that exceed the federal minimum standards." He also claimed the move was "an attempt to erase diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices that, for decades, have helped bring greater opportunities to more students."

Reykdal previously claimed, "DEI is not a harmful thing; it's a good thing. We cannot allow the federal government to take money away from the state of Washington on a right that is clearly in the states and clearly in our local governments and in our community."

Reykdal, who has championed the divisive ideology, has presided over a disastrous decline in Washington academics where 71 percent of the State’s eighth graders aren’t proficient in math and 69 percent aren’t proficient in reading despite record spending.

Reykdal said, "Washington will not suppress its core values or cede our right to determine our own education system to the federal government." 

"In response to the Department’s request," Reykdal said, "I sent a letter affirming that Washington has already provided our assurances and met the requirements under Title VI. We will not sign additional certifications that lack authority, lack clarity, or are an assault on the autonomy of states and local school districts by misapplying a higher education admissions case. It would be irresponsible to do so."

Last week, it was revealed that Reykdal was one of several Democratic officials in Washington who threatened legal action against the governing body for high school sports in the Evergreen state if the agency banned men from women’s sports.

Last month, Reykdal threatened to withhold funds from the La Center School District that refused to hide students’ gender identities from parents, claiming the decision to inform parents of how a student identifies in school discriminates against students and families regarding gender inclusivity and rights of queer and transgender students.

In February, Reykdal claimed, "It is quite simply inaccurate to say biologically that there are only boys and only girls," in response to President Donald Trump’s Executive Order stating that there are only two genders. 

The day after Trump signed the an executive order to keep men out of women's sports, Reykdal issued a statement claiming that it "directly contradicts state law" and "requires educational institutions to agree to discriminate against trans female athletes in order to continue receiving federal funds."

Reykdal added, "The 47th President of the United States is disregarding the rule of law by attempting to unilaterally impose an attack on the specific student groups that anti-discrimination laws aim to protect." He continued, "Our state law prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity, and we will not back down from that."

He pledged, "Washington state will do everything in our power to defend the rule of law, states' rights to establish education policy, and to protect the beautiful diversity of our 1.1 million students and educators. We believe in inclusion over discrimination and love over hate."