On May 7, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) joined the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and sixty other organizations in sending a letter to Congress requesting certain educational provisions in the next COVID-19 stimulus bill to ensure equal educational opportunity.
The letter calls on Congress to do the following:
• Ensure Federal Funds are Not Used to Discriminate
• Preserve Civil Rights Protections and Halt Unrelated Rulemaking
• Ensure Funds are Targeted to Marginalized Students
• Ensure Oversight of Federal Funding
• Ensure Marginalized Students Have Access to Distance Learning
• Ensure Equal Educational Opportunity for Students with Disabilities, English Learners, Students Experiencing Homelessness, and Migrant Youth
• Ensure Students Have Access to Nutritional Supports
• Ensure Educators and Other School Staff are Safe and Protected
• Protect the Health, Well-Being, and Education of Children in Secure and Congregate Settings
• Cancel Student Loan Debt
• Maintain Access to Supports for College Students
As Congress continues to respond to the massive upheaval and disruption to the lives of families and communities across the country, it is vitally important that those who were most marginalized before this current public health crisis and are bearing the brunt of the crisis itself are at the center of any and all responses – especially with regard to education.
Read the joint letter here.
