Superintendent Reykdal’s Response to Federal DEI Guidance
On February 14, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued a Dear Colleague Letter questioning the legality of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in educational institutions and suggesting potential federal funding consequences for noncompliance.
In response, State Superintendent Chris Reykdal released a statement reaffirming Washington’s commitment to equity and inclusion in public education. Superintendent Reykdal emphasized that this guidance does not carry the force of law and does not require school districts to change their policies, practices, or programming. He also noted that Washington state law has long prohibited discrimination in public education.
OSPI is actively monitoring this issue in coordination with the Attorney General’s Office and will take necessary steps if any federal funding is impacted. Superintendent Reykdal reiterated that diversity, equity, and inclusion are fundamental to ensuring a high-quality education for all students and that Washington state will not be reversing course on its commitment to educational equity.
For more details, see the full statement and related resources:
Superintendent Reykdal’s Video Remarks (February 20, 2025)
U.S. Department of Education Dear Colleague Letter (February 14, 2025)
Legislative Update
February 21st marked the cutoff for all policy-related bills to be passed out of committee and read into the floor record in their house of origin. February 28th marked the same for bills with a fiscal impact. March 12th is the House of Origin Cutoff date, which is the last day to consider bills in the house of origin. Stay tuned to the OSPI Special Education Bill Tracker for regular updates on the status of bills impacting special education. Bills with a grey background are not moving forward this session.
If you have questions about anything legislature-related, please contact OSPI Special Education with the subject line "Legislative Session".
N.D v. Reykdal Settlement
On November 22, 2024, the Federal District Court for the Western District of Washington approved the settlement agreement in N.D. v. Reykdal. For more details about this case, see the 9th Circuit Order and OSPI Q&A. On February 21, 2025, the Court issued an order continuing the Final Fairness Hearing, which is now scheduled for June 17, 2025, at 10 am. The Court also ordered districts to send out an updated individualized settlement notice to adult students identified as potential members of the settlement class. OSPI is in the process of translating the notice and districts will need to send out the updated notice by March 24, 2025.
Districts that need to send the settlement notice and consider whether compensatory education is needed will be emailed directly and provided with additional instructions.
You can find more information about the Court Order, Settlement, and Settlement Notice on OSPI’s Special Education webpage.
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