# Minnesota Department of Education *State agency of Minnesota, headquartered in Minneapolis; administrator of federal child nutrition programs and a defendant in a 2026 federal Title IX action.* The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is a [[Minnesota]] state agency headquartered in [[Minneapolis]].[^1][^2] It appears in three roles in this record. It is the state administrator of the [[Child and Adult Care Food Program]] (CACFP) and the [[Summer Food Service Program]] (SFSP), the two programs the [[Office of the Legislative Auditor (Minnesota)]] named in its review of the department's oversight of [[Feeding Our Future]].[^3] It is the author of a dated account of its own detection and enforcement steps, submitted to a Minnesota Senate committee in April 2022.[^4] It is also a defendant in a federal [[Title IX]] action filed on March 30, 2026.[^5] The department's April 4, 2022 timeline places its detection of irregularities in summer 2020. In that season, it records, there was "rapid growth in the number of community sites" and an "exponential increase in the rate of meal reimbursement claims."[^4] The Legislative Auditor's June 2024 Special Review found that MDE "failed to act on warning signs known to the department prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic."[^3] On September 20, 2022, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota announced charges against forty-eight defendants.[^6] On May 22, 2026, the [[United States Department of Justice]] announced a 500-month sentence for the person it described as the scheme's ringleader. In that release, DOJ said the sponsor "submitted these fraudulent claims to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)."[^7] The Title IX action, docket 0:26-cv-02078 (D. Minn.), names MDE and the [[Minnesota State High School League]] as defendants. It is assigned to Judge [[Eric C. Tostrud]] and was active as of the record.[^5][^8] It is one of several federal suits brought against the State in 2026. An earlier DOJ release, No. 26-21 (January 14, 2026), concerns a separate suit and is titled "United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime."[^9] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - MDE and the Minnesota State High School League are the named defendants in *[[United States v. Minnesota Department of Education and Minnesota State High School League (Title IX)]]*, 0:26-cv-02078 (D. Minn.).[^5][^10] - DOJ's May 2026 sentencing release describes Feeding Our Future as "a nonprofit organization that was a sponsor participating in the Federal Child Nutrition Program." It identifies MDE as the agency to which the sponsor's claims were submitted.[^7] ### What - The Legislative Auditor's review names "the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)." It states: "The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is responsible for administering these programs in Minnesota."[^3] - DOJ's sentencing release refers to the [[Federal Child Nutrition Program]] as an umbrella term and does not name CACFP or SFSP. The Legislative Auditor's review names both programs.[^7][^3] - MDE prepared a Feeding Our Future timeline and submitted it to the Senate Education Finance Committee on April 4, 2022.[^4] - The department publishes four-year graduation rates by race/ethnicity[^11] and school discipline reports.[^12] ### When - July 2019: a Fox 9 news timeline dates MDE's identification of red flags in Feeding Our Future's operations to this month.[^13] The Legislative Auditor separately found that warning signs were known to the department before the pandemic began.[^3] - Summer 2020: the department's timeline records detection of the rise in sites and claims.[^4] - October 2020: the timeline records escalation to the USDA Office of Inspector General.[^4] - December 2020: the timeline records a halt on new sites.[^4] - March 2021: the timeline records a stop-pay action.[^4] - April 2021: the timeline records a Ramsey County ruling.[^4] - June 2021: the timeline records $35,750 in fines plus $11,750 in fees over the department's "attempts to slow down the application process."[^4] - January 2022: the timeline records the execution of federal search warrants.[^4] - September 20, 2022: forty-eight defendants were charged in federal court.[^6] - June 2024: the Legislative Auditor issued its Special Review of MDE's oversight of Feeding Our Future.[^3] - March 30, 2026: the Title IX action, 0:26-cv-02078, was filed.[^5][^8] - May 22, 2026: DOJ announced the 500-month sentence. The release quotes Judge [[Judge Nancy Brasel|Nancy Brasel]]: "This was a fraud vortex and you were at the epicenter of it."[^7] ### Where - The department is headquartered in Minneapolis.[^1] - DOJ's sentencing release refers to "more than 250 Federal Child Nutrition Program sites throughout the state of Minnesota."[^7] ### How - The programs operated through sponsors. DOJ describes Feeding Our Future as a participating sponsor that submitted claims to MDE, and the Legislative Auditor identifies MDE as the administering agency.[^7][^3] - Several steps appear in the department's timeline: escalation to federal investigators in October 2020, a halt on new sites in December 2020 and a stop-pay in March 2021. They are followed by a Ramsey County ruling in April 2021 and fines and fees assessed in June 2021.[^4] ### How much - The timeline records $35,750 in fines and $11,750 in fees, imposed in June 2021.[^4] ### How many - Sites: more than 250, as stated in DOJ's May 22, 2026 release.[^7] - Defendants charged: forty-eight, as of the U.S. Attorney's Office announcement of September 20, 2022.[^6] - A later release from the same office reports that two defendants were found guilty.[^14] ## Active federal matters *United States v. Minnesota Department of Education and Minnesota State High School League (Title IX)*, No. 0:26-cv-02078 (D. Minn.), was filed on March 30, 2026. The case is before Judge Eric C. Tostrud.[^5][^8] The instruments at issue, per the case record, are the eligibility policies of the Minnesota State High School League and MDE, together with Minn. Stat. §128C.02.[^5] The action is brought under Title IX, which governs sex discrimination in federally funded education programs. DOJ announced the suit in press release No. 26-299.[^15] The docket is available through PACER.[^10] As of the record the case is active, and no ruling on the merits appears in the pack.[^8] The Title IX suit followed a separate federal action against the State announced on January 14, 2026. The U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Public Affairs titled its release No. 26-21 "United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime." Attorney General Pamela Bondi certified that case as a matter of general public importance.[^9] See [[United States v. State of Minnesota (affirmative-action hiring)]]. ## Omissions in official accounts The Legislative Auditor's June 2024 Special Review states that MDE "failed to act on warning signs known to the department prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic."[^3] The department's own timeline, submitted to the Senate Education Finance Committee on April 4, 2022, begins its detection account in summer 2020, after the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] began.[^4] A Fox 9 news timeline dates the department's identification of red flags to July 2019.[^13] The record shows the Auditor's finding of pre-pandemic warning signs and the timeline's summer 2020 starting point. It does not establish the reasons for the difference. ## See also - [[United States v. Minnesota Department of Education and Minnesota State High School League (Title IX)]] - [[Feeding Our Future]] - [[Office of the Legislative Auditor (Minnesota)]] - [[Minnesota State High School League]] - [[Child and Adult Care Food Program]] - [[Summer Food Service Program]] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Minnesota Department of Education* (rev. 1379717329, retrieved 2026-10-26) — state agency of Minnesota; headquarters in Minneapolis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Department_of_Education [^2]: Minnesota Department of Education, *Institutional homepage* — the agency's official site. https://education.mn.gov/ [^3]: Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor, *Minnesota Department of Education: Oversight of Feeding Our Future*, Special Review (June 2024) — names CACFP and SFSP; states MDE administers them; finds MDE "failed to act on warning signs known to the department prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic." https://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/sreview/pdf/2024-mdefof.pdf [^4]: Minnesota Department of Education, *Feeding Our Future timeline*, submitted to the Senate Education Finance Committee (April 4, 2022) — summer 2020 detection; October 2020 escalation to USDA OIG; December 2020 halt on new sites; March 2021 stop-pay; April 2021 Ramsey County ruling; June 2021 $35,750 fines plus $11,750 fees; January 2022 federal search warrants. https://www.lrl.mn.gov/archive/minutes/senate/2022/Fineduc/20220404/fineduc_20220404_MDE-FOF-Timeline.pdf [^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, *Complaint, United States v. Minnesota Department of Education and Minnesota State High School League*, No. 0:26-cv-02078 (D. Minn.) (filed March 30, 2026) — Title IX action naming MDE and MSHSL; instruments: MSHSL/MDE eligibility policies and Minn. Stat. §128C.02. https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1433251/dl [^6]: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota, *Forty-eight defendants charged in federal court* (September 20, 2022) — charging announcement in the Feeding Our Future matter. https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/forty-eight-defendants-charged-federal-court-massive-pandemic-fraud-scheme [^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, *Feeding Our Future Ringleader Sentenced to 500 Months* (May 22, 2026) — sponsor in the Federal Child Nutrition Program; claims submitted to MDE; more than 250 sites; Judge Brasel's statement. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/feeding-our-future-ringleader-sentenced-500-months [^8]: Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse, *Case 48004: United States v. Minnesota Department of Education* — tracker record; Judge Eric C. Tostrud; status active as of record. https://clearinghouse.net/case/48004/ [^9]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime*, release No. 26-21 (January 14, 2026) — release title; Attorney General Bondi's certification of general public importance. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-department-justice-files-lawsuit-against-minnesotas-affirmative-action-regime [^10]: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, *PACER* — docket access for No. 0:26-cv-02078 (D. Minn.). https://pacer.uscourts.gov/ [^11]: Minnesota Department of Education, *4-year Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity* — agency data publication. https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/account/gradrate/ [^12]: Minnesota Department of Education, *Discipline Reports* — agency data publication. https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/safe/ [^13]: Fox 9, *Feeding Our Future fraud timeline* (news) — dates MDE's identification of red flags to July 2019. https://www.fox9.com/news/feeding-our-future-fraud-timeline [^14]: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota, *Two defendants found guilty* (release) — guilty verdicts against two Feeding Our Future defendants. https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/two-defendants-found-guilty-orchestrating-massive-250-million-fraud-scheme-bilked-federal [^15]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, *Press release No. 26-299* (2026) — announcement of the Title IX suit against MDE and MSHSL. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-minnesota-protect-girls-sports-and-intimate-spaces