May 9, 2025 Story by: Publisher
The Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), has filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education and Secretary Linda McMahon.
The lawsuit challenges the Department’s abrupt and unprecedented termination of a longstanding grant that funded the Southern Education Foundation’s (SEF) operation of the Region IV Equity Assistance Center (EAC), which serves eight southeastern states.
“For so many Black students across our nation, EAC programs serve as a vital pathway to ensuring they can access the critical resources they need to thrive in classrooms and beyond,” Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP said.
The lawsuit is filed on behalf of the NAACP, NAACP Tennessee State Conference, Somerville-Fayette NAACP, and Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium, Inc. marking a significant escalation in legal and public concern over what LDF alleges is a politically motivated campaign to undermine diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in public education.
Since 1964, Congress has appropriated critical funding to equity assistance centers, like MAEC, to support state education agencies, school districts, and students with their efforts to promote equal educational opportunity across the United States.
“In addition to providing technical assistance to students and teachers, these programs support school communities to abide by desegregation orders and to foster equitable, inclusive learning environments,” Johnson said. “We stand here today with unwavering support for our students, teachers, and school communities—knowing that the innumerable barriers they’ve already faced as a result of these grant terminations are an affront to their right to access equal opportunity in education.”
The lawsuit references the Department of Education’s action on February 13, 2025, ‘to abruptly and arbitrarily terminate the equity assistance program and funding to MAEC and other grantees, robbing them of the resources needed for it to continue working with schools to prevent and remedy ongoing problems of discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, gender, and religion.’
The lawsuit asserts that the Department of Education’s move to terminate the equity assistance centers is part of President Trump’s unlawful and discriminatory attack on so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion” initiatives.
The Department’s actions ignore the federal government’s obligations under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Education Amendments of 1972, and other anti-discrimination laws to provide schools with critical technical assistance to prevent discrimination.
Background of the Equity Assistance Centers
The Region IV Equity Assistance Center was part of a national network of federally funded centers created under Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
These centers were designed to help school districts address racial and gender-based discrimination and promote desegregation, equity, and inclusion. SEF has operated this EAC for more than five years, providing technical assistance and training to local educational agencies in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
“The Department of Education’s termination of the EAC program is a dangerous and misguided attempt to roll back decades of progress towards civil rights and equal opportunity in public education,” Katrina Feldkamp, LDF Assistant Counsel said. “The EAC program is critical to ensure that Black students, low-income students, and other students of color can access the resources they need to thrive. Ending our client’s grant under the guise of opposing programs that advance diversity, equity, and inclusion is a betrayal of the law’s intent and the communities it was designed to protect.”
Until its termination, SEF’s Equity Assistance Center had delivered hundreds of hours of training and support to districts seeking to reduce racial disparities in school discipline, promote culturally responsive teaching, and ensure compliance with federal civil rights obligations.
Sudden Termination
On March 5, 2024, the Department of Education abruptly terminated SEF’s grant without prior notice, hearings, or any identified breach of contract or performance failure. According to the lawsuit, ED’s decision was made “without cause” and without offering SEF the opportunity to address any supposed concerns. This action ended SEF’s participation in the Equity Assistance Center program more than a year before its grant period was set to expire in 2025.
The LDF argues that this sudden decision was not only procedurally improper but also reflects a broader political attack on efforts to advance racial equity in education. They assert that the Department’s action aligns with increasing pressure from far-right political groups who have targeted DEI programs across the country.
Legal Claims
The lawsuit alleges violations of:
- The First Amendment, claiming the termination was a politically motivated retaliation against SEF for its race-conscious work and association with the NAACP.
- The Administrative Procedure Act (APA), asserting the Department’s decision was arbitrary, capricious, and procedurally unlawful.
- Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, for undermining the very purpose of federally supported equity work.
Source: Legal Defense Fund
