Hamilton County Schools’ legal team said it would ensure the district is in compliance after the Trump administration warned that educational institutions using “race-based decision-making” risked losing federal funding.
In a “Dear Colleague” letter sent Feb. 14, the U.S. Department of Education said schools receiving federal funding must stop considering race in any decisions related to admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies and “all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life” by the end of this month.
The letter provides guidance around how the administration intends to apply existing laws, Hamilton County school board attorney Scott Bennett said. He doesn’t think it will “change an awful lot” for Hamilton County because Tennessee already prohibits the teaching of prohibited concepts about race, he said.
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Under a 2021 state law, teachers are restricted from discussing certain concepts, including that a person is inherently privileged, racist, sexist or oppressive because of their race or sex, and that the United States is fundamentally or irredeemably racist or sexist. Bennett said he feels comfortable the district’s policies align with that law.