Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Dei Title Vi topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Vermont Agency of Education moves to state-level Title VI assurance after federal DEI certification request sparks district concern
Summary
After a federal letter asked local education agencies to certify Title VI compliance in relation to diversity, equity and inclusion practices, Vermont education officials told the April 10 Senate committee they will submit a single state-level certification to protect districts following public objections and legal review.
Officials from the Vermont Agency of Education told the Senate Education Committee on April 10 that an initial federal request for each local education agency to certify Title VI compliance prompted the agency to change course and submit a single state-level certification on behalf of districts.
Jill Brooks Campbell, deputy secretary, said the Department of Education's letter asked states to gather LEA certifications within a short timeframe. The agency's initial legal review, conducted with its general counsel and an assistant attorney general on staff, concluded that Vermont is in compliance with Title VI as interpreted by existing federal civil-rights law; nevertheless, officials said the mechanics of the federal request increased risk for districts that publicly stated they would not sign the federal checklist.
"At no point in time has the Secretary or the Attorney General or the Governor ever made that statement," Campbell said, referring to claims that state leadership told districts to stop DEI work. Agency officials said they repeatedly told districts that they do not believe districts are out of compliance with Title VI and that districts should not remove DEI materials from their websites based on the federal letter.
The agency also described coordination with the attorney general's office. Jamie Cragle, an assistant attorney general on the agency's staff, and Emily Simmons, the agency's general counsel, participated in office hours and helped craft the legal and procedural response, officials said. After some districts publicly announced they would not comply with the LEA-level certification, the agency decided to submit a state-level assurance intended to protect districts from heightened federal scrutiny.
Agency staff said they released an initial superintendent update and held office hours to explain the agency's analysis. The agency also published a running federal-updates page and summarized the guidance to reassure districts; officials said one excerpt the agency emphasized from Department of Education material was that "simply using the terms diversity, equity, and inclusion is not illegal," language intended to reduce fears about common curricular language.
Officials said the state will draft a letter of certification that contains elements of the Title VI assurance the agency believes it can truthfully provide while also highlighting concerns about the federal framing of "illegal DEI." The agency will continue legal coordination with the attorney general and make further information available to districts; officials urged districts to continue equity-centered work while the legal questions are resolved.
