The Department of Education on Friday said it launched a federal civil rights investigation into the Louisiana Board of Regents over its prioritization of non-white students in its higher education planning.
The inquiry by the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights focuses on performance objectives embedded in the board’s executive budget documents for fiscal 2021-22 and fiscal 2025-26, according to a news release.
“This is unacceptable. We will uphold fairness and equal opportunity for students,” ED Secretary Linda McMahon said in a Truth Social post.
In its budget, the board lists “increase the unduplicated number of underrepresented minorities (all races other than white, Asian, non-residents & unknown/not reported) completers in a given academic year,” as one of its objectives for fiscal 2025-26. A similar objective appears in the 2021-22 budget.
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said the objectives violate American laws and principles. “The Louisiana Board of Regents’ objective to prioritize recruitment and graduation efforts for ‘all races other than white [and] Asian’ appears to blatantly violate not only America’s antidiscrimination laws, but our nation’s core principles,” she said.
Richey said the OCR will investigate whether the board’s plan violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in programs receiving federal assistance.
