(AMERICAN GREATNESS) – A California school district that has spent nearly a million dollars on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs has been called out by the advocacy group Defending Education.

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According to Defending Education, the Merced City School District has spent approximately $913,423 on DEI-related consultant contracts since 2025.

The district, located in California’s Central Valley, is considered one of the state’s lower-performing school districts based on test performances.

Just the News reports that data from the website Niche shows roughly 20 percent of students are proficient in math and 33 percent in reading, giving the district an overall grade of C.

That distinction is raising serious questions about why the district signed a $270,000 agreement with Fresno-based School Yard Rap, which includes a “Rap Camp” and an “African American Affinity Group” for black students only.

Erika Sanzi, the senior director of communications at Defending Education, says the spending priorities are misplaced, particularly given the district’s academic performance.

Sanzi told The Center Square, “Any discretionary money should be focused on targeted interventions and remediation for the huge percentage of students who remained below grade level in reading and math.”

She added, “Spending nearly a million dollars on programs based around identity and activism is indefensible and, in the case of their affinity groups, also illegal.”

The prospect of race-based programming in Merced public schools has also caught the attention of the Department of Justice, which described the allegations as “troubling.”

Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, told The New York Post, “It is illegal for the government to offer benefits solely on the basis of race. We have not had the opportunity to investigate these allegations, but if true, they are troubling.”

The Merced City School District is defending its partnership with School Yard Rap in a statement released to FOX26 that reads as follows:

Merced City School District proudly supports the partnership with contracted vendor, School Yard Rap, who foster a unique approach to education by engaging students through music, media, interactive assemblies and much more. The camps are advertised and open to all 3rd through 8th grade students across Merced City School District.

A screenshot from the contract with School Yard Rap states that each day of the camp “includes two group sessions for up to 100 African American students.”

Sanzi expressed concerns over the exclusionary focus on race but also took issue with the district’s priorities, saying, “If equity was my goal, I’d start with reading and math scores and income level to identify the students most in need of extra support.”

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This article was originally published in American Greatness.