Popular student program could be phased out at 4 Pines schools. What to know
Broward County Public Schools plans to sever ties with Latinos in Action, a leadership program aimed at Latino youth, following a federal letter that flagged potential violations of anti-discrimination laws.
The letter, sent Sept. 24 by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and obtained by the Pembroke Pines News, raised concerns about whether the elective course offered at participating Broward schools unlawfully excluded non-Latino students, enforced an 80/20 racial balance, and segregated participants into what it described as a “safe harbor.”
The program, currently funded through the Broward County School District’s general revenue, operates in multiple Broward schools — including four in Pembroke Pines — and has been framed by supporters as a bridge for Latino students into leadership roles.
Founded in Utah in 2001, Latinos in Action describes its mission as empowering Latino youth “by bridging the graduation and opportunity gap for all students, working from within the educational system to create positive change.”
But the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights pointed to language once featured in the FAQ section of the organization’s website.
In response to a question about enrollment, the site reportedly stated: “80% of the class must be Latino. 20% of students may be from any other racial/ethnic background.”
That statement no longer appears on the site.
The letter, signed by Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig W. Trainor, gave the district five business days to respond and outline whether it would take “remedial steps” to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin.
How is Broward affected?
Those steps included ending Broward’s partnership with Latinos in Action, halting all programming before the spring 2026 semester, and issuing a public statement to parents, students and staff explaining the decision.
If the district does not comply, the letter warned, Broward could jeopardize roughly $30 million in Magnet Schools Assistance Program funding — even though Latinos in Action is not supported by that grant.
The district has not formally notified the federal government of its decision as of Sept. 29, but on Sept. 25, BCPS sent an email to parents and staff saying it would “transition away from the current Latinos in Action curriculum by the start of the Spring 2026 semester, as required.”
John Sullivan, chief of staff for the Broward Public County Schools, told the Pembroke Pines News that the district is still weighing its options and plans to respond to the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights by Oct. 1.
Sullivan said that the county is in a contractual agreement with Latinos in Action and uses its curriculum to supplement elective leadership courses.
After-school clubs affiliated with the program, which are student-run, will continue operating unless further legal guidance prevents it, he said.
According to the Latinos in Action website, four schools in Pembroke Pines participate in the program: Charles W. Flanagan High School, West Broward High School, Silver Trail Middle School and Pines Middle School.
Across Broward County, the program is offered in 52 schools, serving middle and high school students. Broward County has roughly 250,000 students, nearly 40% of whom identify as Latino.
How do educators feel?
Some educators in Broward say they feel disheartened by the letter.
“As educators, we always believe in the goodness of the people out there,” Liliana Ruido, secretary for the Broward Teachers Union and a teacher of 24 years, told the Pembroke Pines News. “But at the same time, why go after this program … why put the district in this predicament?”
Ruido says that the OCR claim of discrimination doesn’t align with what she sees in practice.
“ I don’t see it,” she says. “That’s not a program just for Latinos. It’s open for everybody.”
She believes the program is inclusive and has a positive impact on students across the board.
“ I truly don’t want to believe that it is discrimination against the Latinos, but it’s very hard for the community out there not to see it that way with everything that we’re going through right now,” Ruido says. “But I think by blocking one culture, you are blocking everybody from learning and having a brighter future.”
For now, the district is preparing to cut ties with the program by early 2026, Sullivan said.
This story was originally published September 30, 2025 at 12:18 PM.
