HAMPTON ROADS — School districts across the country are making decisions regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion.
As a condition for receiving federal money, the Trump administration is ordering K-12 schools to certify that they are following federal civil rights laws and ending any discriminatory DEI practices, the Associated Press reports.
School and state officials must sign a certification letter included with the memo and return it to the department within 10 days. This will confirm their compliance with the directive.
Districts that do not comply can face a loss of federal money, including grants and contracts, and can be held liable under the False Claims Act, according to the certification. It specifically threatens Title I funding, which sends billions of dollars a year to America’s schools and targets low-income areas.
The Virginia Department of Education set a deadline of April 24, 2025 for school districts to confirm they are not engaging in DEI practices to avoid potential loss of federal funding. This deadline was initially set for April 11 but was extended.
Here is how some school districts in Hampton Roads are responding:
Virginia Beach:
Virginia Beach City Public Schools passed a resolution earlier in April, suspending diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
Norfolk:
In a 5-2 vote, the Norfolk School Board rejected Trump's executive order, passing a resolution to direct the superintendent to not sign the compliance letter as is.
Instead, in a 4-3 vote, the board decided to modify the letter's content, stating they will comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as current federal and Virginia law and future interpretations of the law.
During the meeting, when asked if this decision could be seen as non-compliance, Deputy City Attorney Jack Cloud, who introduced the motion, said, "I can't say how the Trump administration and the United States Department of Education will react."
Suffolk:
In a 4-3 vote, the Suffolk School Board voted to suspend DEI programs.
Superintendent Dr. John B. Gordon, however, says suspending DEI policies does not affect current resources.
"It's unfortunate that we've been put into a no-win situation. Don't sign the policy lose $9.6 million, or as Miss Boykin alluded to, potentially even additional federal funds for meals," Gordon said. "Or do sign the policy and feel like you are literally turning your back on what you believe in."
Chesapeake:
A spokesperson for Chesapeake Public Schools sent the following statement:
Chesapeake Public Schools has filed the required certification. As part of this process, we acknowledged receipt and review of the notification and certified our compliance with the stated legal obligations and assurances, recognizing that such compliance is a material condition for the continued receipt of federal financial assistance.
We remain committed to upholding all applicable federal civil rights laws and ensuring our practices align with these important standards.
Portsmouth:
A spokesperson for Portsmouth Public Schools sent the following statement:
The VDOE did give school divisions an extension until tomorrow to submit their certifications. However, since the division does not have an Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and, consequently, there is not a DEI webpage, the division was able to submit its certification letter on Wednesday, April 9.
Hampton:
A spokesperson for Hampton Public Schools sent the following statement:
Hampton City Schools signed the requested certification letter from the United States Department of Education (dated April 3, 2025), incorporating additional compliance language shown below in italics:
. . . and therefore certify our compliance with the below legal obligations to the extent that they comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Virginia law and federal law.
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