Broward School Board votes to end Latinos in Action program. What happens now?
More than 50 Broward County Public schools, will lose the Latinos in Action leadership program by the start of the 2026-27 school year after the school board voted to move forward in terminating its partnership with the program.
The 6-3 vote last month follows a letter from the U.S. Department of Education warning the district that the program could jeopardize roughly $30 million in Magnet Schools Assistance Program funding because its materials appeared to be in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin.
At the special school board meeting on Nov. 18, District 6 board member Adam Cervera said he was saddened by the decision but argued that the national organization “made a mistake” by suggesting racial quotas for enrollment for their classes.
“We saw initially when this first came to us, that the language required 80% of the class to be Latino students and 20% after that can be any other race,” Cervera said. “Unfortunately, that’s a very clear violation of Title VI.”
Across Broward County, the program is offered in 52 schools, serving middle and high school students. The county has roughly 250,000 students, nearly 40% of whom identify as Latino.
Among the schools affected 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.
- Pembroke Pines: Charles W. Flanagan High School, West Broward High School, Silver Trail Middle School and Pines Middle School.
- Miramar: Everglades High School, Miramar High School, New Renaissance Middle School and Henry D. Perry Education Center.
In the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights letter to the school board, they 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.” As of Dec. 3, that statement no longer appears on the site.
Cervera said the district’s contract with LIA contained no such quota, but said requests for clarification from LIA’s corporate office — from Broward and other districts nationwide — went unanswered.
“I am voting in favor of this, and it’s not because I was not a fan of the program,” Cervera said. “I will not allow this district to partake in or to engage with any company, any vendor who is breaking the law or is not following federal code.”
Cervera added that he visited several schools within his district that had the program and found diverse student enrollment, not exclusively Latino participation.
Despite pushback from students, alumni and congressional leaders, BCPS said it will remove the LIA curriculum from leadership classes and is exploring “comparable” replacement programs for students moving forward.
Student advisor Landyn A. Spellberg spoke to the board to thank LIA sponsors and students, saying it has been a powerful program within the district for years.
“When politics reach into our schools and affect the programs that shape who we are, we all lose,” Spellberg said. “Latinos in Action has been more than an extracurricular, it’s been a lifeline for so many of our students and created communities where every student knows they belong.”
The school board ended its contract with Latinos in Action using a standard “termination without cause” provision, which allows either side to exit an agreement without citing a specific violation. In public-sector contracts, this is often used when circumstances change or when continuing a partnership could pose financial or legal risks.
Board member Dr. Allen Zeman, one of the three who voted against the termination, said the challenge from the DOE was not fair or just.
“There was no program in Broward County that discriminated based on ethnicity, race, color or any of the other federal protected conditions,” Zeman said. “It is unfortunate that there was a remnant on one website that suggested otherwise, but this is not fair or just to challenge a district with a $30 million bill.”
Cervera pushed back on claims the organization has properly communicated with the district, saying officials “ignored us.”
Superintendent Howard Hepburn said LIA had not been in direct contact with him. Chief of Staff and Communications John Sullivan said that the district had communicated with LIA but primarily about ending the agreement, not to clarify the contested FAQ language.
Sullivan also said the district has been in contact with the federal government. When the district sent the contract to federal officials, “this did not satisfy their concerns,” Sullivan said, adding that the district’s first formal response to the DOE was a copy of the contract.
The Sun Sentinel reported that Latinos in Actions did respond to the school board on Nov. 25. Jose Enriquez, CEO and founder of Latinos In Action, sent a letter to the School Board disputing Cervera’s assertions.
Enriquez wrote that his organization had communicated with Hepburn by phone and in writing several times to address the concerns. The Pembroke Pines News reached out to Latinos in Action for comment but had not received a response as of Dec. 3.
Board counsel Marylin C. Batista advised members not to debate facts further, warning that doing so could expose the district to legal scrutiny.
“If we get into a discussion about reasons, about fact patterns, about what happened, what didn’t happen, I think that goes against what the recommendation is before you today, so my recommendation would be to treat it as a termination without cause, or you would be looking at a different item,” Batista said.
Board Chair Sarah Leonardi praised the program’s impact and urged the board to find a way to continue similar work.
“This has been a tremendous program for our students. It is really disturbing that this is happening now and it is harmful to students, getting rid of this program,” Leonardi said. “I hope that, Dr. Hepburn, we can find a way to continue this work because it really has been so valuable.”
