Why Arizona school district won’t comply with Trump’s DEI order
TOLLESON, AZ (AZFamily) —The Arizona Department of Education recently launched a new website publicly naming school districts refusing to comply with President Trump’s executive order to eliminate DEI programs in K-12 schools.
Some Valley districts, like Tolleson Union High School District, stand firm in openly defying the order. Schools that do not comply risk losing federal funding.
Arizona’s Family spoke with Jeremy Calles, the Tolleson Union High School District superintendent, to learn why they voted against complying. Some public education professionals have previously cited the lack of clear definitions of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
“They could target anything,” Calles said.
He fears this order is just the start of a slippery slope.
“I don’t think they’re limiting themselves to what they could call illegal DEI, and once you sign the letter, you know you give a mouse a cookie; what‘s next? They’re going to come back, and every single time they want you to change what you’re doing, say that‘s illegal,” Calles said.
Calles also believes the order doesn’t make sense. The DEI order tells schools to eliminate policies that make decisions based on race in any way or risk losing federal funds. Yet, he says, some of the federal funds they lose would go to marginalized students.
“So they say they don’t believe in any of those practices. Then why does the Johnson O’Malley Grant still exist? Why does Title 7 Indian Grant still exist? Why so? It‘s like you’re they’re saying one thing, but their actions are still something else,” he said.
Last week, a federal judge temporarily paused the order, but in Arizona, most public school districts have already complied. But TUHSD openly defied. Calles believes the order could put the district at risk of losing essential programs. It‘s a decision he says he’s proud of.
Arizona’s Family asked Calles if the ruling goes through and federal funds are taken away, would he feel as though he didn’t protect the marginalized students he cares deeply about by not complying.
“No. For me, being able to keep the money is not how we protect students. It‘s not wanting a student to feel like they don’t belong, that there isn’t a place for them. That‘s something that we can’t put a dollar figure on,” Calles said.
Calles also fears the DEI policy goes far beyond race or gender. He pointed to the Kyrene Elementary School District, which adopted a social-emotional wellness policy, which State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said violated the DEI order. The Kyrene Elementary School District Governing Board then voted to drop the policy.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2025 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
