Federal Court Issues Nationwide Order Pausing Unprecedented Assault on Public Schools, Teachers and Students
Court Blocks “Dear Colleague Letter” Purporting to Prosecute or Cut Funding Based on Teaching History, Sociology, Or Other Lessons That Reference Race or Racism
Baltimore, MD – A coalition of nationwide associations of educators and a public school district represented by Democracy Forward has won a nationwide order blocking a Trump administration’s attempt to threaten educational institutions, including universities and school districts, with prosecution, or loss of vital federal funding, if they teach students important history, sociology, and other lessons that reference race and racism, or provide support to students and foster healthy school communities through diversity, equity, or inclusion programming.
The case, American Federation of Teachers, et al. v. U.S. Department of Education, et al., was brought by the American Federation of Teachers, AFT-Maryland, the American Sociological Association, and Eugene School District 4J in federal court in Maryland. The complaint challenged a “Dear Colleague Letter,” published by the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights on February 14, 2025, which threatened education institutions. The Trump administration set April 24, 2025, as a deadline for every school district in the country to certify compliance.
“Today’s decision affirms what we have always known: this administration’s attempts to censor schools, teachers, educators, colleges, and universities is unlawful. This ruling is a win for educators, students and communities across the nation. The nationwide injunction will pause at least part of the chaos the Trump administration is unleashing in classrooms and learning communities throughout the country, and it will provide the time for our clients to demonstrate clearly in court how these attacks on public education are unconstitutional and should be permanently stopped,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “As the Trump administration’s war on education escalates, Democracy Forward will use every legal tool available to support students, parents, teachers, educators, academics, and the values of education, expression, and the rule of law in this nation.”
The Dear Colleague Letter is the latest developments in a series of actions stemming back to the Dear Colleague Letter that undermine civil rights law and threaten to impose significant penalties on schools and educators. As the Trump administration has continued to take these harmful steps, the case has continued to evolve to protect schools and the families they serve.
“Today, the court confirmed the importance of our job as educators to foster opportunity, dignity, and engagement. We create safe and welcoming classrooms where students are cared for and accepted. We teach the skills and knowledge they need to navigate a diverse and complex world. And we value critical thinking, which requires us to present history in an open and honest way,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “The court agreed that this vague and clearly unconstitutional requirement is a grave attack on students, our profession, honest history, and knowledge itself. It would hamper efforts to extend access to education, and dash the promise of equal opportunity for all, a central tenet of the United States since its founding.”
“Today’s decision from the court affirms what we already know – the Trump administration is unlawfully threatening educators who meet the diverse needs of every student and undermining our public education system,” said AFT Maryland President Kenya Campbell. “This preliminary injunction pauses the chaos caused by targeting and attacking vital communities and temporarily protects the critical funding schools, from our K-12 schools to our higher education institutions, rely on.”
“This injunction is an important step towards preserving educators’ ability to do their jobs effectively and well,” said American Sociological Association President Adia Harvey Wingfield. “For sociologists, who study society and group-level behavior, our work can involve researching and teaching topics related to race. Sociology helps explain why parts of society—schools, neighborhoods, workplaces—can maintain racial inequality, even when the individuals steering them have the best intentions. This knowledge matters more than ever in an increasingly diverse society. With this injunction in place, we can continue doing the important work of understanding these dynamics more clearly.”
“The Court’s order ensures that our public schools can continue to provide fair and equal access to public education for all our students,” said Eugene School District 4J Board Chair Jenny Jonak. “Teachers can continue to teach history and science accurately, we can continue to provide social and emotional learning supports, and we can continue to provide an environment that helps every student feel a sense of safety and belonging. The Dear Colleague letter and certification requirement tried to force us to pick between the supports that students need to thrive and federal funding that all of our students deserve. That’s an unconscionable choice, and thanks to the Court’s ruling, we can get back to our jobs: helping students learn.”
The judge’s opinion can be found here, and the full amended complaint here.
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Democracy Forward is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.