Trump drops court fight to enact its anti-DEI push at schools. But the 'damage is done'

"In a federal court filing, the U.S. government said it would drop its appeal of a federal court ruling that blocked its campaign against DEI in K-12 schools and higher education institutions - which it alleged discriminated against white students and employees - leaving in place a lower court finding that the effort violated the 1st Amendment and federal procedural rules."

"Yet the nearly yearlong federal campaign and funding threats against DEI have prompted widespread overhauls and the elimination of diversity programs throughout the nation's education systems that education experts said will be difficult to reverse. For at least dozens of college campuses across the nation, websites have been purged of mentions of DEI or diversity, DEI-related positions have been eliminated or changed, or students have lost access to culturally themed dorms focused on Black, Latino and LGBTQ+ students."

"The dispute centered on federal guidance issued nearly a year ago in last February that told schools they would lose federal money for using "race in decisions pertaining to admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life.""

The U.S. government withdrew its appeal of a federal court decision that blocked its campaign to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, leaving a lower court finding that the effort violated the First Amendment and federal procedural rules intact. The yearlong campaign had threatened to withhold billions in federal education funding and spurred widespread changes: institutional websites removed DEI references, DEI-related positions were cut or altered, and culturally themed housing and student resources were reduced or eliminated. Experts warned that many of these programmatic and structural changes will be difficult to reverse. The dispute centered on guidance warning schools they'd lose federal money for using race in many campus decisions.

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