Wasserman Schultz Leads Congressional Florida Democrats’ Call to Protect Latinos in Action Programs, Local Classroom Funding

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) led every Congressional Florida Democrat to call on the Trump Administration's Department of Education (DOEd) to rescind its threat to withhold federal funds from local classrooms and give school districts a chance to prove that inaccurate claims against a long-time, successful Latinos In Action program should not be used to target funding and resources that local districts need.

The Latinos in Action program provides school districts with classroom curriculum resources to boost education and leadership skills, and it's open to all students in the more than 500 schools across 16 states that utilize it. However, the Trump Administration recently singled out the program as part of its nationwide attack on diversity efforts. Specifically, Trump's DOEd claimed that it was exclusionary to students and used this false assertion to threaten school districts with federal funding cuts unless they terminated the program. Broward, Polk and Seminole counties received threatening DOEd letters related to the program, and several other Florida districts opted to suspend the program for fear of losing funding, including those in Lee, Osceola, Volusia, Orange and Hillsborough counties.

"It's clear the Trump Administration targeted this highly successful program based on inaccurate information as part of its drive to attack any effort aimed at giving all students a chance to excel and succeed," said Wasserman Schultz. "The Education Department, or what's left of it, clearly acted prematurely by threatening to withhold funding from our local schools, and it all appears to be based on erroneous information, an incomplete investigation, and a purely political agenda. Latinos in Action has for nearly a decade helped all our students grow as scholars and leaders. This baseless decision by the Department is an attack on our students' educational opportunities."

The Democratic Members who signed on to Wasserman Schultz's letter include Reps. Kathy Castor, (FL-14), Frederica Wilson (FL-24), Lois Frankel (FL-22), Darren Soto (FL-09), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), and Jared Moskowitz (FL-23). The letter to the DOEd from House Democratic lawmakers specifically requests the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to:

1. Rescind their decision to withhold Magnet Schools Assistance Program funding from Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) and other Florida school districts due to alleged violations of Title VI compliance in the Latinos in Action curriculum;
2. Give BCPS the chance to prove compliance, and;
3. Answer how they came to the determination that the program was not in compliance.

The Magnet Schools Assistance Program provides school districts funding to establish and operate magnet schools with the goal of attracting a diverse group of students and to desegregate public schools. Given this goal, any school district receiving MSAP funding must have the Office for Civil Rights certify its compliance with Title VI.

"As we are certain the Department agrees, the diligent protection of students' civil rights must follow fair, established rules, and should never result in an indiscriminate erosion of learning opportunities for students of all races," said the Members. "Any failure to follow federal guidelines would ultimately hurt thousands of students of every race."

Read the full Member letter here.

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