Defending Education, a conservative advocacy organization, filed a complaint against Stanford’s National Board Resource Center (NBRC) on March 16, alleging that its BIPOC cohort program violates Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act’s Equal Protection Clause.

In an email to the United States Department of Education, the complaint accused the BIPOC cohort, a program aimed at increasing racial diversity in California public education, of discriminating on the basis of race. The complaint did not make accusations against the California Teachers Association or the UCLA National Board Project, which have partnered with NBRC on the cohort.

Defending Education has litigated numerous such complaints in the past, including against local school districts over student expression policies, individual states and the federal Department of Education under the Biden Administration.

According to their website, the organization seeks to “restore schools at all levels from activists promoting harmful agendas,” including what they deem to be Critical Race Theory and inappropriate discussions of gender and sexuality.

“Based on the eligibility criteria clearly stated on Stanford’s BIPOC cohort webpage, Stanford has adopted, implemented, and enforced a racially discriminatory program and it maintains this program through the present day,” wrote Sarah Parshall Perry, Vice President of Defending Education, in the complaint.

Founded in 1998 within the Graduate School of Education by Professor Linda Darling-Hammond, NBRC is primarily aimed at supporting teachers seeking to obtain National Board certification. Those who attain National Board Certification and teach in “high-priority schools” are provided a $25,000 award through the California Department of Education’s National Board-Certified Teachers Certification Incentive Program. In addition to its candidate support program, NBRC also partners with individual schools and districts.

In 2022, NBRC established the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Cohort in partnership with the California Teachers Association to promote diversity in California public schools. Accepted educators receive “full funding for all certification support services offered by Stanford NBRC along with BIPOC cohort and individualized support.” The program’s website had been taken down as of Wednesday morning.

Stanford spokesperson Luisa Rapport told the San Francisco Chronicle that NBRC “is being sunsetted” and would not accept new applicants. “[Stanford] is committed to meeting its obligations under the federal Civil Rights Act and maintaining an environment free of discrimination,” she said. 

Defending Education’s lawsuit comes amid a conservative crusade against DEI, including in higher education. In April 2025, the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights declared race-conscious university programming, resources and financial aid unlawful and threatened to withdraw federal funding. That August, Stanford shuttered its Office for Inclusion, Belonging and Intergroup Communication. The University previously removed information and language on DEI from webpages.  

Last month, the Department of Justice began investigating what it described as possible racial discrimination in Stanford Medical School’s admissions process.