Press Release: 2/9/2026
AG Campbell Secures Agreement With Trump Administration To Protect Millions In Education Funding Related To Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, And Accessibility Initiatives
Agreement Protects Nearly $575.2 Million in Federal Education Assistance for Massachusetts, Including $302.4 Million to Support Students with Disabilities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
2/06/2026
MEDIA CONTACT
Allie Zuliani, Deputy Press Secretary
Phone
Call Allie Zuliani, Deputy Press Secretary at (617) 727-2543
Online
Email Allie Zuliani, Deputy Press Secretary at Allie.Zuliani@mass.gov
BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today co-led a coalition of 19 attorneys general in securing an agreement with the Trump Administration to prevent it from withholding federal funding from state and local education agencies that refuse to abandon lawful programs and policies related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA), which promote equal access to education in K-12 classrooms across the nation.
“This result ensures our schools will continue to have the resources they need to educate our young people, and that legal DEIA initiatives, which help students feel safe and supported, remain protected in Massachusetts,” said AG Campbell. “This Administration does not have the authority to unilaterally rewrite the law, and I will continue to hold it accountable for actions that harm our residents, especially our kids.”
On April 3, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) informed state and local agencies that they must sign a document setting forth the Trump Administration’s new interpretation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in relation to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts — or else risk immediate and catastrophic loss of federal education funds.
Massachusetts, like many other states, acknowledged that it does and will comply with federal nondiscrimination statutes, regulations, and case law, but refused to certify its compliance with the Department’s new requirements, as there is no lawful or practical way to do so given the Department’s vague, contradictory, and unsupported interpretation of Title VI.
On April 25, 2025, AG Campbell and a multistate coalition filed a lawsuit asserting that the Department’s attempt to terminate federal education funding based on its misinterpretation of Title VI violates the Spending Clause, the Appropriations Clause, the separation of powers, and the Administrative Procedure Act. A complementary lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, American Federation of Teachers, et al. v. United States Department of Education, obtained an important victory vacating the April 3 certification request. That decision recently became final when the parties filed an agreement dismissing the Administration’s appeal.
Today’s agreement resolves this lawsuit and secures the critical commitment from the Administration to apply the relief obtained in the American Federation of Teachers lawsuit to schools in the Commonwealth. It prevents the Administration from withholding any funding based on these unlawful conditions.
The agreement protects nearly $575.2 million in congressionally mandated financial support that the Department provides to Massachusetts each year for a wide variety of needs related to children and education, including nearly $302.4 million in funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This funding further includes financial support to ensure that students from low-income families have the same access to high-quality education as their peers; recruit and train highly skilled and dedicated teachers; fund programming for non-native speakers to learn English; and provide support to vulnerable children in foster care and without housing.
Joining AG Campbell in signing this agreement are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.