FILE PHOTO: An American flag and a tattered U.S. Department of Education flag fly outside the federal office building, amid reports that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration will take steps to defund the federal Education Department, in Washington, U.S., February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

Public schools and universities in Massachusetts and across the U.S. have less than two weeks to scrub their curriculums and outside contracts of any diversity, equity and inclusion policies or

Shuttering the department would likely require congressional action, but efforts to curb its activities have already begun.