The U.S. Department of Education launched a digital reporting form Feb. 27 for citizens to submit complaints about diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in public schools.
According to the department, the form is “an outlet for students, parents, teachers, and the broader community to report illegal discriminatory practices at institutions of learning.” It focuses specifically on K-12 curricula, “ensuring all students have access to meaningful learning free of divisive ideologies and indoctrination.”
President Donald Trump has been honing in on DEI efforts in schools, likening them to unlawful discrimination. The Department of Education released a memo Feb. 14 claiming “DEI programs … frequently preference certain racial groups and teach students that certain racial groups bear unique moral burdens that others do not. Such programs stigmatize students who belong to particular racial groups based on crude racial stereotypes.”
In the memo, the department advised schools to examine their DEI programs to ensure compliance with federal civil rights laws; schools who did not carry out these investigations within 14 days of the memo were told they would potentially lose federal funding. The department released a question-and-answer document Feb. 28 stating that the memo is not meant as a restriction of First Amendment rights and the department is not able to control the content of individual schools’ curricula.
While the form currently addresses K-12 curricula, educators are concerned that these actions set a precedent for the potential scrutiny of higher education.
“I think we’re already seeing this play out a bit in attacks on federal funding, and in effect, that will have dire implications for students, faculty, and the work we’re doing at a public institution,” said associate professor Lindsay Fallon, the chair of the department of counseling, school psychology and sport at UMass Boston. Her research revolves around equity and behavioral wellness for students in underrepresented groups.
“I am balancing continuing the work as planned with hopefully maintaining the funding that we have,” Fallon said. “It benefits so many students at UMass Boston, as well as the community partners which are engaged with this work. [The form] is an unfortunate effort to vilify work that, to me, addresses civil rights, human dignity and collective care, and is not unlawful.”
Some institutions are already seeing the effects of the Trump administration’s threats to rescind federal funding. The National Institutes of Health announced a planned reduction in funds that typically goes to medical research at universities. Judge Angel Kelley of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued an injunction March 5 to block these funding cuts, writing that the cuts would cause “irreparable” harm toward illness and disease research at universities.
Both K-12 schools and higher institutions that rely on federal funding to conduct research could face problems from a loss of funds, such as downsizing or elimination of programs for underrepresented students.
“We are navigating unprecedented times,” Fallon said. “It’s our mission as a university to do work that’s in the best interest of the students that we serve. What’s important about work that centers inclusivity is recognizing education is a place for everyone.”
