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In a letter sent to families on Saturday, April 26, the Board explained that its decision came just hours before its Tuesday, April 22 meeting, after the district’s legal counsel advised immediate action to maintain compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Failure to do so, according to the Board, could have put $450,000 in federal funding at risk—funds that support special education services and free and reduced-price lunch programs.
"The loss of the funds would have a meaningful impact on programs and services for our students," the Board wrote, adding, "We believed the most prudent response was to suspend our policy – not abolish it."
The district emphasized that the DEI policy suspension is temporary and that the Board is planning to review and revise the language to ensure it remains in alignment with federal requirements while preserving the intent of the original policy.
The Board plans to take action on the revised policy at its upcoming Tuesday, May 6 business meeting, which will be open to the public.
While the decision sparked concern among some community members, the Board said it remains committed to the aims of the DEI policy, which are supported under New York State laws, including the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) and the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA).
"This was a strategic decision rooted in our responsibility to protect educational programming for all students," the Board explained.
The decision comes following the Trump Administration's demand that schools across the nation meet its definition of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which includes no longer using race as a factor in "n admissions, financial aid, hiring, training, and other institutional programming," according to a letter from the US Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights from Friday, Feb. 14.
However, on Thursday, April 24, a New Hampshire federal judge restricted the administration from cutting or withholding federal funding from public schools on the basis of whether or not they participate in DEI initiatives, CBS News reported.
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