State lawmakers fight federal move to end Broward student program. What to know
A group of Democratic members of Congress is asking President Donald Trump’s administration to reconsider an order requiring Broward County Public Schools to end its partnership with Latinos in Action, a leadership program offered in 52 middle and high schools across the county.
In an Oct. 21 letter to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Jared Moskowitz, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and Frederica S. Wilson — who represent Broward County — said the department’s Office of Civil Rights acted “without completing a formal investigation or giving BCPS a fair chance to demonstrate compliance.”
The members of Congress urged the department rescind its Sept. 24 order, which accused the Utah-based program of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a federal law that prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin.
In the letter, the Office of Civil Rights warned that Broward County could lose $30 million in federal magnet school funding if it failed to cut ties with Latinos in Action.
“The withholding of funds is based on incomplete or erroneous information,” the members of Congress wrote. “We urge the Department to rescind this decision and afford Broward County Public Schools the opportunity to prove their partnership with Latinos in Action is in compliance with Title VI.”
The Oct. 21 letter also was co-signed by the state’s four other Democratic members of Congress — Lois Frankel of West Palm Beach, Maxwell Frost of Orlando, Darren Soto of Kissimmee and Kathy Castor of Tampa.
Wasserman Schultz said in a statement that the Education Department “acted prematurely” with the Sept. 24 letter and accused the agency of pursuing a “purely political agenda.”
“It’s clear the Trump Administration targeted this highly successful program based on inaccurate information as part of its drive to attack any effort aimed at giving all students a chance to excel and succeed,” Wasserman Schultz said in an Oct. 22 news release.
“The Education Department, or what’s left of it, clearly acted prematurely by threatening to withhold funding from our local schools, and it all appears to be based on erroneous information, an incomplete investigation, and a purely political agenda,” Wasserman Schultz wrote. “This baseless decision by the Department is an attack on our students’ educational opportunities.”
Superintendent Howard Hepburn has recommended that the school board terminate Broward’s contract with Latinos in Action, according to the Miami Herald.
The school board is expected to vote on the issue at its Nov. 12 meeting.
The program, currently funded through the Broward County School District’s general revenue, operates in over 50 Broward schools and has been framed by supporters as a bridge for Latino students into leadership roles.
Among the schools participating are six in Coral Springs, four in Pembroke Pines and four in Miramar:
Coral Springs: Coral Springs High School, Coral Glades High School, J.P. Taravella High School, Sawgrass Springs Middle School, Forest Glen Middle School and Coral Springs Middle School.
Miramar: Everglades High School, Henry D. Perry Education Center, New Renaissance Middle School and Miramar High School.
Pembroke Pines: Charles W. Flanagan High School, West Broward High School, Silver Trail Middle School and Pines Middle School.
County response
Debra Hixon, a member of the Broward County Public Schools school board, shared her frustration over the uncertainty surrounding the program’s future.
“This definitely was a great opportunity for leadership and community service and mentoring other students,” Hixon told the Pembroke Pines News on Oct. 22.
“It’s disheartening to realize that it is being dismantled based on ignorance really — people that don’t understand what the program really offered to our students and for that, I feel very bad.”
Hixon said she has received several emails from parents concerned that the program could be taken away, though not an overwhelming amount.
“It’s unfortunate that we find ourselves in a place where this is so uncertain,” Hixon said. “We will do our best to still provide the opportunities that were available to them through the program in different ways.”
At the same time, Hixon noted that the district is still planning to move forward with cutting ties unless there is a change.
“That’s an operational thing and [Superintendent Hepburn] hasn’t indicated to us anything different,” Hixon said. “So I would say, whatever’s been sent out to this point is still in play unless there is some change at the federal level.”
She also criticized the decision-making process that pits unrelated programs against each other for federal funding.
“I think it’s a very bad tactic where one program that’s not related at all to another program, gets put in jeopardy for our students,” Hixon said.
Hixon also mentioned she was invited to an Oct 24 roundtable hosted by Wasserman Schultz to discuss the program’s future with other lawmakers.
“I’m glad to see that lawmakers are standing up and fighting for this very important program,” she said.
This story was originally published October 22, 2025 at 2:59 PM.
