SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – South Dakota schools have one week to sign a letter certifying compliance with civil rights laws or risk losing federal funding.
All states are expected to comply with the new order from the Trump Administration and Department of Education. The administration justifies the order based on Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1965, which says no organization receiving federal funds can discriminate based on race.
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The directive was clear: assure no programs that “advantage one’s race over another” are running in the schools, or risk losing federal funds.
“Any violation of Title VI—including the use of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (“DEI”) programs to advantage one’s race over another—is impermissible,” the letter from the U.S. Department of Education said.
The letter was sent out to state leaders Thursday April, 3. Schools across the country had 10 days from that point to sign the letter assuring they are not violating the Civil Rights Act of 1965 or discriminating based on race.
That deadline is April 13th.
KELOLAND News reached out to South Dakota Department of Education Secretary Joseph Graves.to see how South Dakota will proceed and what types of programs could be cut in the state. He did not have a response.
Democrat-run states like New York and Minnesota have already said they will not comply with the order.
However, South Dakota is more dependent on federal dollars than other states.
South Dakota is the 11th most dependent on federal money when compared to all other states, according to the financial organization, WalletHub. In terms of the state government dependency, South Dakota ranks 4th. The rank for resident dependency is 25th. Those combined help account for 11th place.
South Dakota News Watch reported in March that the state’s K-12 schools received $433 million in federal funds during the 2021-22 school year. That is 21.7% of the state’s money for education comes from federal dollars.
KELOLAND News also reached out to the South Dakota Education Association to better understand the impact either the DEI program cuts or federal funding cuts could have on South Dakota schools. We did not hear back.
