Arizona educators raise concerns over Trump administration’s crackdown on DEI
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The Trump administration is threatening to withhold federal funding from public schools that promote diversity, equity and inclusion.
K-12 public schools have until April 14 to certify that they don’t have any DEI programs or practices. Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne sent a memo to school districts, notifying them about the mandate from the U.S. Department of Education.
Marisol Garcia is a history teacher and the president of the Arizona Education Association. She said the new federal government requirement would put teachers on edge as they wonder whether their actions will cost their schools millions of dollars.
“Right now is state testing time, so the very last thing teachers need is to worry about whether or not they’ll lose funding for resources, salaries or buildings,” said Garcia.
RELATED: Arizona State among over 50 universities facing federal DEI investigations
Paul Tighe is executive director of the Arizona School Administrators Association. He said there is no evidence of DEI at any Arizona schools, so the new mandate is only creating confusion.
“School districts and school leaders want to be compliant, so this needs clarity as to what expectations are,” said Tighe. “It certainly will create some concern and probably have some review of everything from what’s on websites to what’s in textbooks and curriculum.”
According to the U.S. Department of Education website, historical observances like Black History Month would not violate DEI policies so long as they don’t exclude or discourage anyone from participating. Garcia said it’s not enough, with teachers needing to know what is allowed and what isn’t.
“I woudn’t want to sit back and question, is this going to get my district in trouble?” said Garcia. “Could this mean somebody could lose their job? Am I going to get written up because I have a poster celebrating American History?”
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