The federal government agreed Wednesday to temporarily hold off on investigating school districts that have yet to comply with a directive barring them from engaging in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

The nationwide agreement was brokered in federal court in Concord by lawyers for the National Educators Association, who have challenged a requirement that school districts certify they are following the Trump administration’s directive.

The union, which represents 17,000 members in the state, has argued that the certification requirement would have a chilling effect on schools across the country.

The agreement lasts until April 24, the extended national deadline for the certifications. A court hearing scheduled for April 17 will likely lead to more lasting guidance.

Districts had initially been required to attest by Thursday that they were adhering to certain anti-discrimination laws that the administration has argued DEI initiatives violate. The administration has said that districts that fail to comply with the certification requirement risk losing federal funding.

On Monday, the federal government extended its deadline for states to respond by 10 days. On Tuesday, the New Hampshire Department of Education followed suit, making the state deadline April 17.

As of Wednesday morning, roughly 100 of the 214 public school districts in the state had submitted certifications.

The Trump administration’s certification requirement marks an escalation of its attempt to root out diversity, equity and inclusion programming in K-12 public schools. Last week’s directive follows a February threat that federal funding would be stripped from institutions that teach about topics such as systemic or structural racism.

The requirement calls on every school district to certify that they comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of “race, color, or national origin.” Schools must also attest that they follow the Supreme Court’s ruling in SFFA v. Harvard, which struck down the use of race-based affirmative action in higher education admissions.

Concord superintendent Kathleen Murphy said she was “shocked” by the requirement.

“I don’t believe that we have anything that plays outside of this ruling... but, again, it’s everyone’s interpretation of the words and the rules and how one could perceive it,” she said during a meeting on Monday.

Catherine McLaughlin contributed reporting.

Jeremy Margolis can be contacted at jmargolis@cmonitor.com.