An elite US university is under investigation for a scheme to help teachers who "identify as a person of colour" receive funding.
The US Department of Education has launched an investigation into Stanford University over a scheme to give "Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) teachers" funding to study for their National Board Certification, similar to the UK's Postgraduate Certificate in Education.
The investigation will determine if Stanford's National Board Resource Centre has violated Title VI, a code which prohibits discrimination based on race, colour, and national origin when granting federal funding.
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said: "Instead of helping students achieve their goals through merit, Stanford appears to be conditioning access to National Board Certification programs based on skin colour."
The programme's application reads: "Are you an educator of colour considering pursuing National Board Certification?"
It then asked if lecturers were seeking to "deepen your teaching practice and connect with other educators of colour?".
"The California Teachers Association (CTA), the UCLA National Board Project, and the National Board Resource Center at Stanford (NBRC) are partnering to launch a second fully-funded cohort of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) teachers committed to earning National Board Certification and serving as teacher leaders in their communities," it concluded.
Ms Richey added: "It is unconscionable that an institution which claims to be a pinnacle of educational excellence would deny opportunities based on race. If the allegations are true, Stanford is engaged in discrimination – pure and simple.
Stanford University offered fully-funded teacher certification for 'Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) teachers'
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"The Trump Administration will always fight against discrimination to protect Americans’ rights under the law. All students, regardless of their skin colour, should have an equal opportunity to succeed."
Donald Trump has increasingly cracked down on diversity, equity, and inclusion programmes since taking office as the 47th President.
Last week, the STOP DEI Bill was introduced in the House of Representatives, which would restrict funds to universities which consider race, sex, ethnicity, colour, or national origin "in ways that violate the Nation’s civil rights laws".
In March, Stanford's medical school admission process was subject to an investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
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Stanford Medical School is separately being investigated by the DOJ for its admission practices
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The university, along with the Ohio State University and the University of California, San Diego, were asked for extensive lists of data by April 24 or risk having their federal funding halted.
The DOJ asked for applicant information from the past seven years, including test scores, home postal codes, and disclosure of familial relationships to university alumni or ties to university donors.
And last year, Stanford laid off 363 members of staff, citing federal cuts to research funding and an increase in the endowment tax.
That came after the White House cut "frivolous grants" to research it deemed to be wasteful, adding that "one-quarter of new National Science Foundation grants were allocated to DEI and other far-left initiatives".
Donald Trump's administration has opened several investigations into higher education and DEI programmes
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On Tuesday, Mr Trump fired all members of the National Science Board, which oversees the National Science Foundation.
A spokesman for the university told The New York Post: "The cohort-based program that is the subject of the complaint is not accepting new teachers and is being sunsetted."
"Stanford University is committed to meeting its obligations under the federal Civil Rights Act and maintaining an environment free of prohibited discrimination," the spokesman said.
Stanford added that the university’s National Board Resource Center is open to any primary or secondary teacher, regardless of their race and that the cohort program was just one option at the centre.
It is unclear if Stanford decided to sunset the cohort programme after the Department of Education launched its investigation.