President Trump has issued a directive to abolish DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) from school programs and websites.
In response to a letter from the Department of Education, the USD 259 Board of Education took down many pages related to DEI from the website and removed certain DEI-related words and phrases from others. If they had failed to follow this directive, BOE Strategic Communications spokesperson Susan Arensman said federal funding would be cut.
This elimination of important content has left many people in the district worried about the possible effects. Southeast art teacher Angelina Stephens, who co-sponsors Buff Pride, is concerned about the comfort and safety of her students.
“We’re afraid for our students,” she said, “…the overall sense of community and sense of safety and belonging is gonna be affected.”
However, Arensman reassures that these worries are already being considered.
“We have to follow the law but we will make sure that every student feels welcome, every student feels they belong, every student feels safe,” she said.
Christopher Hughes, who teaches a class in African American History, shares his idea that the BOE was considering funding when making the decision that would upset many people.
“I think it’s a disappointing decision to see, but being that we’ve been talking about budget issues for the past few years, I think they’re looking out in the interest of their budget going forward.”
“Possibly, you could see some clubs or courses taken away,” Hughes said. “… I would hope they continue to resist the removal of clubs and courses that are helping out or speaking about things that the Trump Administration doesn’t want to be spoken about.”
Arensman aims to assure people that the district’s main goal is to refrain from any discrimination and follow the wording of the order.
“Right now it’s strictly for things that are in the website and as I said before, their intent on the letter is to make sure that we don’t discriminate,” she said.
While the district awaits clarification, Stephens encourages anyone in the district to contact elected leaders about feelings regarding the changes.
“You can reach out to your congress people by going to the legislature…if there are concerns that any of our students or our staff or teachers have about what organizations or clubs might be affected,” Stephens said. “…you can always contact those representatives.”
