'Commonsense': Department of Education to No Longer Require School Discipline Policies That Discriminate on the Basis of Race

Tyler O'Neil : Aug 18, 2026
Daily Signal

A 2018 report from the Federal Commission on School Safety found that, due to the 2014 letter, "schools ignored or covered up—rather than disciplined—student misconduct in order to avoid any purported racial disparity in discipline numbers that might catch the eye of the federal government. As a result, students who should have been suspended or expelled for dangerous behavior remained in the classroom, making all students less safe."...

[DailySignal.com] The Department of Education issued guidance Tuesday urging schools to neither favor nor disfavor students based on race when it comes to discipline, reversing Obama-era guidelines. (Screengrab image: via Fox News)

The department also announced new civil rights investigations into two school districts that allegedly used race-based disciplinary policies.

"For too long, the Left's pursuit of 'equity' has perversely required schools to discipline students differently, based on their race; it has prevented teachers from keeping their classrooms safe, put students in harm's way, and severely compromised student learning opportunities," Kimberly Richey, assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a statement first provided to the Daily Signal.

"Today's guidance clarifies Title VI's legal requirements and ends these harmful practices," Richey added. "[The Office for Civil Rights] will vigorously enforce Title VI to ensure that schools' disciplinary systems are neutral and fair, and that they operate in a nondiscriminatory manner."

The 'Dear Colleague' Letter

Tuesday's "Dear Colleague" letter provides guidance based on President Donald Trump's April 2025 executive order titled "Reinstating Commonsense School Discipline Policies."

Trump's order claimed that previous administrations misinterpreted Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Department of Education and Department of Justice had issued a "Dear Colleague" letter in January 2014 stating that schools could still violate Title VI, and therefore lose federal funding, if their disciplinary programs led to adverse outcomes for students of certain races—despite not intentionally discriminating on the basis of race.

A 2018 report from the Federal Commission on School Safety found that, due to the 2014 letter, "schools ignored or covered up—rather than disciplined—student misconduct in order to avoid any purported racial disparity in discipline numbers that might catch the eye of the federal government."

"As a result, students who should have been suspended or expelled for dangerous behavior remained in the classroom, making all students less safe," Trump's order stated... Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

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