Insights from Chairman William Wilson on Middletown Events
- Thoughts the US Department of Education’s “dear colleague” letter to public schools
February 26, 2025
Superintendent Dr. Alberto Vazquez-Matos
Middletown Board of Education
On February 14, 2025 the Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights of the United States Department of Education issued a letter entitled “Dear colleague” that very clearly outlined “new” guidance for public schools in the United States. The Department reaffirmed that it is essential that all students are treated equally regardless of “race, color, or national origin.”
We chose to put “new” in quotation marks because it has been law for more than 60 years to not discriminate on the basis of…anything. We all bleed red. Citizens of this country deserve equal rights in all facets of life. There are no if’s and’s or but’s. Just as the vast majority of the Republican party was unified in the 1860s (with the founding of our Party), 1960s (pushing President Johnson for Civil Rights protections), we are still unified in the 2020’s. We believe that all people are created equal and therefore deserve equality under the law. We do not grant favors to any citizen regardless of what they look like, of what they wear, of where they come from, or of what they believe. This is especially true of our children. They are our most precious resource. We want to teach them that they can accomplish anything in this life regardless of what society views them to be capable of.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 expounds upon the equal protection clause of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, stating that all citizens are equal under the law. The Supreme Court has recently supported this within educational institutions with the landmark finding of Students for Fair Admission v. Harvard (as documented in the US Dept of Education letter).
While the MRTC believes that education should be under local, and not Federal, control; the fact of the matter is, that the US Department of Education does exist. Likewise, it does indeed fund a portion of Middletown Public Schools to the tune of several million dollars per year. Now, this funding is in jeopardy because of its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program. The New Administration would be irresponsible in not setting this new guidance regarding DEI, because Title VI of the CIvil Rights Act demands that Federal funding be questioned: “No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” 42 U.S.C. § 2000d, et seq.; 34 C.F.R. § 100, et seq.
The letter states “The Department intends to take appropriate measures to assess compliance with the applicable statutes and regulations based on the understanding embodied in this letter beginning no later than 14 days from today’s date, including antidiscrimination requirements that are a condition of receiving federal funding. All educational institutions are advised to: (1) ensure that their policies and actions comply with existing civil rights law; (2) cease all efforts to circumvent prohibitions on the use of race by relying on proxies or other indirect means to accomplish such ends; and (3) cease all reliance on third-party contractors, clearinghouses, or aggregators that are being used by institutions in an effort to circumvent prohibited uses of race. Institutions that fail to comply with federal civil rights law may, consistent with applicable law, face potential loss of federal funding.”
14 Days from that letter is very quickly approaching. “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” is a violation. This program does grant special privileges to citizens regarding what they look like, what they wear, where they come from, and what they believe. The fact that a new DEI director was recently hired in the midst of this new political climate when this guidance was a real possibility…is grossly irresponsible. Loss of Federal funds is yet another way initiatives at Middletown Public Schools will place another burden on the Middletown taxpayer. You have already placed an enormous burden on Middletown with the heavily inflated budget from this past year, how much more will Middletown taxpayers be asked to spend? This is at a time in which our families have trouble putting food on the table. How much is enough?
The Middletown Republican Town Committee supports the elimination of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program of Middletown Public Schools. We wish you to reconsider ignoring this Federal guidance.
Sincerely,
Middletown Republican Town Committee
William Wilson, Chair