You should be encouraged that the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) is now on the right side by standing with the truth, the law and the American people. The “Dear Colleague” letter, sent by DOE’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights to every Education Department in all 50 states, reaffirms the Federal Government’s commitment to equal protection and its resolve to hold all American educational institutions accountable.

The letter puts schools and universities on notice that they can no longer use race or any race proxy as “a factor in admissions, financial aid, hiring, training, and other institutional programming” without facing consequences. In addition, the DOE invites the public to monitor schools and file civil rights complaints against those failing to comply with federal civil rights laws.

If you have a potential case of a school discriminating on the basis of race, we are happy to review the case and work with you to pursue justice and accountability in the most appropriate manner. As early as 2021, CFER, along with five partner organizations, submitted a formal discrimination and civil rights violation complaint against the San Diego Unified School District regarding unlawful critical race training of teachers and employees. Due to a hostile former administration, our complaint was dismissed but this groundbreaking complaint against CRT, first in the nation at the time, generated positive media impact and greatly built awareness on the issue. We are happy to assist you with our experience and expertise!

Let’s be clear: we can’t fight culture with government ALONE. This is especially true in California, where race-obsessed politicians and educrats take pride in defying the federal government and perpetuating discrimination. After all, public school districts here are mainly funded by the state and local taxpayers. Sacramento’s Democratic supermajority in the legislature remains dreadfully unchanged. More actions from the ground up are still needed. In local school districts, for instance, we need to follow school board meetings, curriculums and school district spending to identify actionable issues, exert pressure and organize the community accordingly.

On February 13, another attempt to weaken California’s constitutional guarantee of equal protection was introduced into the State Assembly. Assemblymember Corey Jackson, author of the failed proposal to circumvent Prop. 209 via research-based/-informed exemptions, is now behind ACA 7, a new initiative to repeal key education portions of Prop. 209. In other words, Asm. Jackson wants to make government discrimination and preferences legal again in public education, with the exception of college admissions. If the Legislature passes ACA 7 and California voters approve it on the ballot, the state government and all educational institutions will be allowed to engage in racial discrimination, segregation and balancing in instruction, training, school activities and more. It seems that those obsessed with race will never take no as an answer!

We will continue CFER’s important work in California. You can also help us:

• If you want to submit a public information request to your school district to get the evidence of defiance against the current administration with ideology and discrimination, please contact us and we will help you.
• If you are concerned about ACA7, voice your opposition by contacting your state assembly representatives. CFER will closely monitor this bill and keep you updated!
• If you have any tip(s) regarding your local school district’s discriminatory policies/programs, let CFER know and we will help you strategize the best course of action.

p.s. The California Policy Center will host its 4th annual “Parents, Not Partisans Summit” in Sacramento on March 18th and 19th 2025. You can RSVP here!

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. There is no time to relax.