Prohibitions on Federal Interference with Curriculum
Prohibitions on Federal Interference with Curriculum ›
Since the Department of Education was first created, there have been legal prohibitions on federal interference in local curricular decisions. Although these prohibitions would not allow for the creation of a hostile learning environment in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (the civil rights laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, or disability)1, Congress has been clear that decisions about what and how to teach remain the exclusive purview of states, districts, schools, and classroom teachers. See below for a non-exhaustive list of those specific requirements in law that prevent the federal government from requiring or disallowing any curricular content. Any change to these prohibitions could only be accomplished through an act of Congress and could not be achieved through executive order, regulation, guidance, or other executive action.