Eugene School District 4J

On Feb. 26, the Eugene School District 4J joined a federal lawsuit that seeks to block recently issued guidance from the Trump administration relating to racial discrimination in education.

The guidance came in a Feb. 14 letter to local school districts, public universities and other educational institutions that receive federal financial assistance. According to the guidance, schools must eliminate the use of race in all decision-making processes relating to all aspects of academic life, including hiring, scholarships, administrative support and discipline. If they do not do so, the letter says they will be in violation of federal law and may lose federal funding. 

In court filings, the defendants argue that the guidance is “vague” and exceeds the federal government’s authority. 

Eugene School Board Chair Jenny Jonak said the guidance puts the district in a challenging situation. 

“Our equity programs are part of our board and district goals to make sure our students have fair access to achievement and that our schools are effective in reaching all students, including our most vulnerable,” Jonak said in a statement. “The recent agency directives not only hamper these efforts, but they are so vague and ambiguous that it makes it challenging from an operational standpoint to know what will risk the loss of federal funding.” 

The Eugene School District receives more than $3.4 million in federal funding annually. 

According to the district, they are the first school district to join the lawsuit. The other defendants in the lawsuit include the American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association.  

It is not yet clear yet if the lawsuit will succeed. No court dates have been set. The defendants have requested a jury detail.