America First Legal (AFL) has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education (DOE) for unlawfully withholding documents related to parental rights and race-based admissions in higher education. The lawsuit is aimed at enforcing three separate Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests that the DOE has failed to provide to AFL.
One of the FOIA requests sent by AFL to the DOE was for records and communications concerning a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA). The PPRA is a law that grants parents the right to opt their children out of experimental programs and to inspect educational materials used in their child's education. AFL is seeking this information because a new DOE rule under the Biden Administration could potentially curtail parental rights. AFL believes it is crucial for parents across America to know exactly what the administration is doing to deter their constitutional rights.
AFL also sent a FOIA request to the DOE for records and communications related to the Biden Administration's new "Book Czar." This individual is tasked with helping local school districts restrict the rights of parents who are fighting to keep government-sponsored "transgender" books out of K-12 libraries and classroom book collections. Once again, the DOE has failed to provide the requested information to AFL.
In addition, AFL sent a FOIA request to the DOE seeking documents and communications related to its "National Summit on Equal Opportunity in Higher Education." This summit, held by the Biden Administration, aimed to find ways to help colleges and universities continue to discriminate in admissions, despite the Supreme Court's decision in Students for Fair Admission v. Harvard. Unfortunately, the DOE has once again failed to provide the requested information.
These unlawful delays in providing the requested information have raised concerns that the DOE is attempting to cover up a federal DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) takeover of America's education system. AFL believes that parents and students need to know the extent to which the Biden Administration is willing to go in order to turn schools and institutions of higher learning into ideological experiments run by the federal government.
Ian Prior, America First Legal Senior Advisor, expressed his concerns about the Biden Administration's actions. He stated, "The Biden Administration wants to implement DEI into all aspects of American education. Whether it is by forcing radical transgender ideology into the minds of kindergartners, sidelining parents from raising their children according to their beliefs, or using illegal admissions practices to pick and choose who will have success, this administration is weaponizing government power to destroy the American Dream. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, and America First Legal will continue to provide that light and hold this administration accountable for its actions."
AFL's lawsuit against the DOE seeks to shed light on the actions and intentions of the Biden Administration in regards to parental rights and race-based admissions in higher education. The organization is determined to hold the administration accountable and ensure that parents and students have access to the information they need to make informed decisions about their education.