As reported by K-12 Dive, on July 30, 2025 the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released a sweeping guidance document that could impact school district hiring and training practices, as well as the programming available to students. The document says how school districts could be exposed to legal liability by asking job applicants how their “cultural background informs their teaching,” using recruitment strategies targeting candidates from specific geographic areas or racial backgrounds, and asking job candidates to describe how they overcame obstacles. A DOJ statement also warns that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices could amount to “illegal discrimination”… and that “This guidance will ensure we are serving the American people and not ideological agendas.”
The DOJ document also contains examples of practices it lists as “unlawful” and could lead to federal funding being revoked, as well as a list of recommendations, which it says are not mandatory, to avoid “legal pitfalls.”
Click here to access the document. For more details from K-12 Dive click here.