After a back and forth in the judicial system, a preliminary injunction has once again been issued against the Feb. 14 Dear Colleague Letter issued by the Department of Education. The preliminary injunction halts until further notice any enforcement action or implementation of the letter’s stated intent by the department and any entity associated with it. The Department of Education under the Trump administration continues to seek an end to race-based admissions and DEI policies throughout all levels of federally funded education. Now that an injunction is once again in effect that work cannot continue, at least for now.
“The court’s ruling blocks ED’s unprecedented and unlawful attempt to restrict discussions and programs on diversity, equity, and inclusion in educational institutions, and its threat to withhold federal funding for engaging in such efforts,” according to the ACLU.
A federal appeals court stayed a separate and initial preliminary injunction on March 14 that had been temporarily barring enforcement of the Dear Colleague Letter since Feb. 21. As changes to federal education guidelines continue to be implemented, Glendale Community College and educational institutions nationwide address a number of new policies and what they will mean for students.
“These initial actions of the judicial branch are positive developments, and we will continue to follow these legal challenges as they proceed,” wrote GCC President Dr. Ryan Cornner in an email announcement on May 11.
In response to legal hurdles facing the Dear Colleague Letter, the Trump administration issued an executive order on April 23 directing accrediting agencies to shift focus away from DEI criteria and instead emphasize “intellectual diversity.”
“The accreditors’ job is to determine which institutions provide a quality education — and therefore merit accreditation,” as stated in the White House’s executive order, and, “Accreditors routinely approve institutions that are low-quality by the most important measures.” The Order is concerned with which schools can provide students with over $100 billion in Federal student loans and Pell Grants each year.
In a separate action, the House Committee on Education and Workforce, a long-standing committee in the House of Representatives with a current Republican majority, passed reconciliation language to the 2025 budget that includes changes to Pell Grants and student loans, according to Cornner’s announcement. “The proposal, among other things, would change the fulltime definition for Pell to 30 units per year or 15 units per semester,” wrote Dr. Cornner.
Taken together, the policy changes may restrict institutions’ and students’ access to federal education funding. While the Dear Colleague Letter is currently blocked by the courts, the executive order and budget proposals remain active. “As we navigate these dramatic changes, we need to continue focusing on our mission and the meaningful ways we serve our students,” Cornner wrote.
Taylor Wiegand can be reached at [email protected].