Baltimore, Maryland - The country's second-largest teachers' union and sociologists have filed suit against efforts by the Trump administration's Department of Education to undermine civil rights laws.

The lawsuit – brought by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), AFT-Maryland, and the American Sociological Association – challenges a "Dear Colleague" letter sent by the Education Department's Office of Civil rights earlier this month.

The February 14 directive barred schools from "race-based decision making, no matter the form" and threatened to withhold federal funding if they do not comply with anti-DEI measures. It also threatened teachers and schools with potential investigations and prosecutions.

"Educational institutions have toxically indoctrinated students with the false premise that the United States is built upon 'systemic and structural racism' and advanced discriminatory policies and practices," the letter claims.

Labor Unions US Postal Service workers say "Hell no!" to Trump's privatization plan in Capitol Hill rally

The new lawsuit challenges the Education Department's authority to issue such a directive: "No federal law prevents teaching about race and race-related topics, and the Supreme Court has not banned efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in education."

The plaintiffs go on to accuse the Education Department of "attempting to establish a new legal regime when it has neither the lawmaking power of Congress nor the interpretative power of the courts."

The Trump administration's efforts to obscure the US' legacy of white supremacy, particularly by targeting the education system, have received widespread condemnation.

"This vague and clearly unconstitutional memo is a grave attack on students, our profession and knowledge itself. It would hamper efforts to extend access to education, and dash the promise of equal opportunity for all, a central tenant of the United States since its founding," AFT President Randi Weingarten said in a press release.

"It would ban meaningful instruction on slavery, the Missouri Compromise, the Emancipation Proclamation, the forced relocation of Native American tribes, the laws of Jim Crow, Brown v. Board of Education, the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, and the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act," Weingarten continued.

"Federal statute already prohibits any president from telling schools and colleges what to teach. And students have the right to learn without the threat of culture wars waged by extremist politicians hanging over their heads."