Eugene School District 4J

Eugene School District 4J will join a lawsuit seeking to block federal guidance that is disrupting operations and will destabilize funding resources and undermine educational programs and efforts that support the success of all students, the school board chair announced Wednesday, Feb. 26.
 
The district joins a coalition of plaintiffs, including the American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association, who argue that the Department of Education’s February 14 “Dear Colleague” letter makes an unconstitutional threat to cancel federal funding of any education institutions that do not conform to the Department’s new interpretation of discrimination, which now includes well-established diversity, equity or inclusion efforts. 

4J is the first public K-12 school district to sign on to the suit, filed Feb. 25 in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland - Baltimore Division. Democracy Forward is a nonprofit legal organization that has agreed to represent 4J in this action on a pro bono basis.
  
Another suit filed earlier this month won a preliminary injunction from a Maryland district judge on Feb. 21. That ruling temporarily halts provisions of certain of President Trump’s executive orders aimed at diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across federal agencies, contractors, and grant recipients.

This action seeks to ensure educators can provide meaningful instruction to students about historic or current events as required by state academic content standards, Oregon’s Ethnic Studies Standards, and the state’s Tribal History/Shared History curriculum. This action also seeks to continue to allow space and support for student affinity groups that improve student engagement and belonging, while reducing dropout rates.

The uncertainty of current agency directives puts school districts in an impossible situation: whether to comply with state law and district goals and values, or to guess at what programs, curriculum or services to cut in order to sustain federal funding.
 
The suit decries the policy and budgetary decisions that are being forced on educators by the “Dear Colleague” letter, instilling fear of repercussions to public schools that continue diversity and equity programming and instruction that aligns with state and local requirements. At risk are federal funds that benefit students with disabilities, houseless students, American Indian students, and economically disadvantaged students.

“Our equity programs are part of our board and district goals to make sure our students have fair access to achievement and that our schools are effective in reaching all students, including our most vulnerable,” School Board Chair Jenny Jonak said. “The recent agency directives not only hamper these efforts, but they are so vague and ambiguous that it makes it challenging from an operational standpoint to know what will risk the loss of federal funding.” 
 
Eugene School District 4J, with a current enrollment of 16,023 students, serves pre-Kindergarten through post-12th grade in 39 schools and programs.