April 23, 2025

Update on Title VI Certification Request from USDE

District administrators,

I want to share an update from the U.S. Department of Education. On Tuesday, April 22, the USDE asked all state education agencies to notify and remind local education agencies about an upcoming deadline to sign the USDE’s certification form. That is the purpose of this communication.

The DPI again responded to the USDE this morning, reaffirming Wisconsin’s compliance with all federal civil rights laws. You can find our latest letter here. As of today, April 23, the USDE has not responded to key clarifying questions the Department of Public Instruction submitted following their initial message. The DPI still does not know why USDE is asking LEAs to sign a new certification and we continue to have significant concerns on the form’s purpose and intended use. According to the USDE’s latest communication, LEAs may choose to submit individual certifications directly to the USDE’s Office for Civil Rights at OCR@ed.gov by close of business on April 24.

To be clear:

• The DPI will not be collecting copies of the certification form issued by the USDE, which references an unclear and undefined process of federal oversight.
• Wisconsin schools are in compliance with the law and certify compliance with Title VI when accepting federal funds. The DPI provided this certification to USDE on April 18. The purpose and potential ramifications of signing this USDE certification form are unclear, and the DPI strongly encourages you to coordinate with your legal counsel.
• We are sharing this information today to be transparent – we do not believe anything contained within USDE’s April 22 communication changes anything.