This article has been updated with a response from the U.S. Department of Education.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A U.S. Department of Education portal, initially promoted as a tool for parents to report school-based DEI programs, quietly vanished from the internet – just a few months after its high-profile debut.
The last time the site was working was May 13, according to the Internet Archive.
After publication of this article Monday morning, U.S. Department of Education spokesperson Ellen Keast, in an email response, said that an April 25 federal court order “enjoined the Department from ‘enforcing and/or implementing’ the following: Dear Colleague Letter: Title IV of the Civil Rights Act in light of Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (Feb. 14, 2025), Frequently Asked Questions About Racial Preferences and Stereotypes Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (first issued on Feb. 28, 2025), End DEI Portal, and Reminder of Legal Obligations Undertaken in Exchange for Receiving Financial Assistance and Request for Certification Under Title VI and SFFA v. Harvard (April 3, 2025).”
The court order followed a lawsuit from the National Education Association, which argued that the Trump administration’s directive to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts was vague – and that the department shouldn’t be allowed to enforce it.
Announced with strong language and a supportive quote from Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice, the site launched on Feb. 27 as a place for parents to report alleged violations of President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order prohibiting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in education.
When Alabama Daily News attempted to access the portal on June 9, the link led to a dead end: “Page not found.”
The portal’s launch came after the Department’s Office for Civil Rights issued a “Dear Colleague Letter” in February reminding schools of their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin.
At least one civil rights advocacy organization – the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights – encouraged readers to use the portal to file complaints about discrimination concerns not related to DEI.
“The form is a useful opportunity to uplift evidence that discrimination is ongoing and requires action. Share data showing how educational opportunity is still not equal, what REAL discrimination looks like, and what the actual problem is.”
There is still a separate online process to file a complaint with the USDOE’s OCR, linked on the department’s website.
Public reaction to the portal’s disappearance has been limited, though one X (formerly Twitter) user did take notice. On May 17, an account affiliated with Moms for America’s Ventura County chapter responded to a post from Education Secretary Linda McMahon:
“Your End DEI Education portal link is no longer active. Please advise how [a] parent can alert the federal government for DEI in our schools.”
The civil rights office has previously investigated complaints involving alleged violations of federal civil rights laws, including Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in education; Title VI, prohibiting race, color, or national origin discrimination; and Section 504, prohibiting disability-based discrimination.
These investigations are part of the department’s long-established role in ensuring equal access to education. Prior to Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration, 285 Alabama cases were pending investigation, just a few of the 12,000 cases nationwide. A website listing open investigations has not been updated since Jan. 14.