A school district in Kentucky is jeopardizing its federal funding by defying the Department of Education’s Trump-directed initiative to acknowledge DEI policies as illegal.
On April 22, Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) Superintendent Marty Pollio sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education explaining the district’s decision to reject a civil rights compliance form aimed at removing DEI programs from schools, WHAS 11 reports. Instead of signing the DOE’s letter, Pollio signed and submitted his own letter, attaching the declaration he made in August 2024, which assured the U.S. DOE that the district complies with federal law.
Now, a school principal in the district is voicing local concerns about how the refusal could impact future funding for Jefferson County schools, especially his own, which serves a student body that relies heavily on additional support.
“Absolutely, we’re concerned, and we hope that things stay the way they are,” Johnsontown Road Elementary School Principal Stephen Howard said.
“We have a lot of students with special needs. We have a very diverse population. [We’re] also a school that is a high percentage of free and reduced lunch, so we have a lot of poverty and we need a lot of assistance to ensure that every student gets everything they need and deserve.”
Pollio’s letter was a response to a DOE directive issued earlier this month, which warned that maintaining DEI initiatives could jeopardize federal funding and trigger legal action from the U.S. Department of Justice. With his refusal, district staffers are anxiously watching to see how the DOE responds.
“It provides a level of worry to teachers and staff, as well as administrators, because we just don’t know what could happen and the impacts,” Howard said. “What could be taken away or what could be expanded?”
Adding to the pressure on JCPS schools, Jefferson County Board of Education member Linda Duncan confirmed the district is already facing a $100 million local budget cut as COVID-19 relief funds dry up.
“We added some great things during COVID – nurses, mental health counselors, big police department, weapons detection systems, more great things… Now we must decide what we can cut since we are down to our own money,” she said.
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