The U.S. Department of Education (ED) sent The New School a letter warning of “potential enforcement actions” if they do not fulfill obligations under Title VI “to protect Jewish students on campus.” 

On March 10, the ED’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) sent letters to 60 universities, including TNS, that are currently under investigation for Title VI violations relating to anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in federally funded institutions.

The Title VI case against The New School was originally opened by the OCR on Feb. 6, 2024, following campus demonstrations in support of Palestine. TNS was one of many universities probed under the Biden administration in the months following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks. Last week, Trump’s Education Department made resolving those “backlog of complaints” an “immediate priority.” 

In a press release regarding the letters, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said, “U.S. colleges and universities benefit from enormous public investments funded by U.S. taxpayers. That support is a privilege and it is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal antidiscrimination laws.”  

The New School did not provide comment on the letter or the ongoing investigation at the time of publication.

The letters are the latest of a series of measures by the Trump administration targeting universities. A new Task Force — created to carry out a Jan. 29 executive order to “combat campus anti-Semitism” — has already scrutinized multiple institutions that saw campus protests in support of Palestine.

This February, the Task Force said it would visit 10 schools to gather information on allegations that they, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, “may have failed to protect Jewish students and faculty members from unlawful discrimination …” The ED also launched Title VI investigations into five universities.

Last week the Task Force announced it would cut $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University due to what they say is “continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.” Schools across the country are bracing for similar cuts, according to multiple reports. 

The New School receives federal financial aid as well as government funding to support its research programs. Government grants accounted for a little over $12 million — just 2% — of the university’s revenue during the 2022-23 school year, according to their IRS Form 990. 

This is a developing story.