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Department of Education clarifies school DEI guidelines, saying Black History Month doesn’t violate order
The Department of Education clarified that observances such as Black History Month are not in violation of an order warning state education departments that they must remove diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies or risk losing federal funding.
The guidance came after the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights sent a letter to the departments of education in all 50 states in mid-February notifying them of a Feb. 28 deadline to comply with the order.
«Title VI prohibits recipients of federal funding from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin,» the guidance reads, adding «Schools may not operate policies or programs under any name that treat students differently based on race, engage in racial stereotyping, or create hostile environments for students of particular races.
«For example, schools with programs focused on interests in particular cultures, heritages, and areas of the world would not in and of themselves violate Title VI, assuming they are open to all students regardless of race,» the guidance continued. «Nor would educational, cultural, or historical observances – such as Black History Month, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, or similar events – that celebrate or recognize historical events and contributions, and promote awareness, so long as they do not engage in racial exclusion or discrimination.»
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY ‘SUNSETS’ OFFICES AMID ONGOING REVIEW OF DEI WORK
U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Eric Scott Turner, center, speaks next to President Donald Trump, left, and Tiger Woods during a reception honoring Black History Month in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 20. (Reuters/Kent Nishimura)
«Whether a policy or program violates Title VI does not depend on the use of specific terminology such as ‘diversity,’ ‘equity,’ or ‘inclusion,’» the guidance, dated Feb. 28, also said.
The letter in February from Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights in the Department of Education, said, «Educational institutions have toxically indoctrinated students with the false premise that the United States is built upon ‘systemic and structural racism’ and advanced discriminatory policies and practices.»
«Proponents of these discriminatory practices have attempted to further justify them—particularly during the last four years—under the banner of «diversity, equity, and inclusion» («DEI»), smuggling racial stereotypes and explicit race-consciousness into everyday training, programming, and discipline,» he wrote.
DOGE INITIAL FINDINGS ON DEFENSE DEPARTMENT DEI SPENDING COULD SAVE $80 MILLION, AGENCY SAYS
The U.S. Department of Education headquarters building in Washington, D.C. (J. David Ake/Getty Images)
«All educational institutions are advised to: (1) ensure that their policies and actions comply with existing civil rights law; (2) cease all efforts to circumvent prohibitions on the use of race by relying on proxies or other indirect means to accomplish such ends; and (3) cease all reliance on third-party contractors, clearinghouses, or aggregators that are being used by institutions in an effort to circumvent prohibited uses of race,» Trainor concluded. «Institutions that fail to comply with federal civil rights law may, consistent with applicable law, face potential loss of federal funding.»
The letter comes after President Donald Trump signed executive orders directing agencies to provide a plan to eliminate federal funding for «illegal and discriminatory treatment and indoctrination in K-12 schools, including based on gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology.» He also signed orders to end DEI programs in federal agencies.
An American flag and a U.S. Department of Education flag fly outside the U.S. Department of Education building in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 1. (Reuters/Annabelle Gordon)
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The Department of Education previously announced the removal of mention of DEI from documents and websites. The department also placed employees who led DEI initiatives on leave and dissolved its Diversity & Inclusion Council.
Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report.
INTERNACIONAL
Golpe al chavismo: Estados Unidos le dio un mes a la petrolera Chevron para «la liquidación» de operaciones en Venezuela
Estados Unidos dio de plazo a la petrolera Chevron hasta el 3 de abril para «la liquidación» de operaciones en Venezuela, informó este martes la Oficina de Control de Activos Extranjeros (OFAC).
Siguiendo las instrucciones del presidente Donald Trump, el Departamento del Tesoro ordenó el «cierre de actividades» en el país caribeño de Chevron, de sus «empresas conjuntas» con la petrolera estatal Petróleos de Venezuela PDVSA o de cualquier compañía en la que esta última posea «una participación del 50%».
Con esta finalidad creó la licencia 41A, que entra en vigor este martes y revoca la emitida en noviembre de 2022 por el gobierno del expresidente demócrata Joe Biden.
La nueva licencia impone sin embargo a Chevron, la única petrolera estadounidense que opera en Venezuela, una serie de restricciones que afectan al gobierno del presidente venezolano Nicolás Maduro.
Chevron no podrá pagar «impuestos o regalías al gobierno de Venezuela», ni dividendos a PDVSA, ni a ninguna compañía en la que esta posea, «directa o indirectamente, una participación igual o superior al 50%».
También quedan prohibidos la venta de petróleo o productos petroleros «a cualquier jurisdicción que no sea Estados Unidos» y llevar a cabo transacciones con empresas controladas por compañías de la Federación Rusa.
Por último, y como viene siendo costumbre, tampoco se permiten las operaciones con personas sancionadas por Washington.
A finales de febrero Trump ya anunció el fin de la licencia que permite a Chevron operar en Venezuela, una bofetada para el líder chavista.
El magnate republicano acusa a Maduro, cuya reelección no reconoce, de no recoger a migrantes venezolanos en situación irregular al ritmo «que habían acordado».
Trump, al igual que Biden, apoya al opositor venezolano exiliado Edmundo González Urrutia, quien reivindica el triunfo en los comicios presidenciales de julio pasado y asistió a su investidura el 20 de enero.
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Pressured by Trump’s Gaza plan, Arab countries meet in Egypt to discuss alternative proposal
Palestinians discuss leaving Gaza
Some Palestinians in Gaza told the Center for Peace Communications of their desire to leave the Hamas ruled enclave. (Video: The Center For Peace Communications.)
Arab leaders convened in Cairo on Tuesday for an emergency summit aimed at presenting a counterproposal to President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan. The summit was held to discuss Egypt’s $53 billion comprehensive reconstruction blueprint for Gaza.
Before Trump proposed resettling Gazans outside the enclave, Egypt and other Arab states had shown little interest in Gaza’s reconstruction. However, given that Egypt has ruled out accepting displaced Palestinians for «national security» reasons, it now finds itself compelled to devise its own plan.
With a $53 billion price tag, the plan is positioned as an alternative to Trump’s vision, and key details have already been shared by Arab media outlets. While Egypt proposes a temporary committee to manage Gaza for six months, Palestinians have made it clear that they will not accept any governing body that isn’t Palestinian or any foreign forces within Gaza. The plan is projected to take at least four and a half years.
‘LEVEL IT’: TRUMP SAYS US WILL ‘TAKE OVER’ GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABILIZE MIDDLE EAST
People watch on a big screen as Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, right, welcomes Jordan’s King Abdullah II ahead of an Arab League summit on Gaza on March 4, 2025. (Khaled Desouki/AFP via Getty Images)
The Egyptian plan is divided into two phases: the first, lasting two years and costing around $20 billion, and the second, spanning two and a half years with a $30 billion allocation. The funds will primarily go toward rebuilding residential areas devastated by conflict.
Importantly, the plan does not call for the displacement of Gaza’s residents, as Trump’s proposal does, and stresses the importance of Palestinian-led reconstruction efforts, and that the Palestinian Authority will collaborate with Egypt and Jordan to train a police force for Gaza. But Hamas has already rejected the plan, and the Palestinian Authority has made it clear that it will not engage in reconstruction efforts as long as Hamas maintains control.
«The Saudis will fund Gaza if there’s a path to a Palestinian state and Hamas is gone,» Ghaith Al-Omari, senior fellow at the Washington Institute and former executive director of the American Task Force on Palestine told Fox News Digital, «Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar want something from the Israelis in return, whether it’s an end to the war or security agreements. They’ll insist on a role for the Palestinian Authority, even if symbolic, for diplomatic reasons. The question is whether the current Israeli government can meet these demands.»
THE HISTORY OF GAZA AMID TRUMP’S PLAN TO REBUILD ENCLAVE
A view of the widespread destruction in Gaza, Jabalia, on Feb. 5, 2025. (Youssef Alzanoun/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
«A militarized Hamas cannot remain in Gaza – the strip must be demilitarized, and Hamas must no longer be in control. The Emiratis are even more extreme on this issue,» Danny Zaken, a senior commentator for Israel Hayom newspaper, told Fox News Digital, «The final draft of the Egyptian plan will avoid directly addressing Hamas. Instead of stating that Hamas will be removed and disarmed, it will say that ‘qualified Palestinian security forces will maintain order with Egyptian backing.’ This approach aims for unanimous approval without addressing Hamas’ fate, but the reality is that it has no practical validity, because in that case the plan has no financial backing,» he explained.
Al-Omari observed, «Arab League summits tend to be a lot of posturing. Who’s going to take care of security? The PA can’t handle that – they’re too weak. No Arab country wants to send troops to Gaza, but they’re also under pressure from the U.S. to contribute.»
An Egyptian diplomatic source told Fox News Digital that Egyptian construction firms are ready to begin work, but the real challenge is political. «Egyptian construction companies are very capable, and they can rebuild Gaza in three years – if there is political will, mainly from Israel and the U.S.,» the source said.
King Abdullah II of Jordan and President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 11, 2025. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
While Egypt is eager to lead the reconstruction process, its ambitions have created friction with key Gulf states, which are expected to finance much of the effort. Zaken, noted, «The Saudis are concerned because the Egyptians want to control the entire process: Who gets the money, who oversees the reconstruction, who the contractors are for demolition and rebuilding? And even new housing and hotels. The other partners worry about corruption in the process.»
A former U.S. foreign service official warned Fox News Digital that Egypt’s ability to manage such funds is a concern. «The Gulf, which is expected to pay for it, is sick and tired of Egyptian corruption. If they fund the reconstruction, they will demand major oversight to ensure the money doesn’t get lost in Egypt’s power structure,» the source said.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE HOSTAGES AND CEASE-FIRE DEAL BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS SET TO BEGIN SUNDAY
Members of the Hamas terror group gather in Gaza in preparation for the release of four female hostages as part of the ceasefire deal with Israel. (TPS-IL)
Meanwhile, Jordan, which has played a key diplomatic role, has managed to avoid direct involvement in the reconstruction debate. Following King Abdullah’s meeting with Trump, Jordanian officials felt that the pressure had shifted to Egypt and other Arab states. «The Jordanians were very happy with the outcome of the meeting with Trump. They feel that the pressure to accept [a] million Gazans is off them,» Al-Omari said.
At the same time, the broader political future of Gaza remains uncertain. Al-Omari noted that despite the ongoing reconstruction discussions, the primary concern for Arab leaders is how to navigate Trump’s unpredictable stance on Gaza. «Frankly, the main thinking in Arab governments right now is how to engage in a covert process with Trump to walk him back from this. No one expects immediate results, but they do hope that this will move Trump away from the idea of depopulating Gaza,» he said.
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For now, all eyes are on the summit. However, as one former diplomatic source put it, «There’s no real plan yet – just ideas. Everyone is trying to shape it in their favor, but until Hamas’ fate is resolved, we’re all just talking in circles.»
INTERNACIONAL
La guerra Rusia-Ucrania: Zelenski ofrece a Putin por primera vez una tregua parcial que detenga los ataques aéreos y marítimos
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