by Deepika Shrestha ‘27

The Trump administration sent a letter to every state in early April stating that any Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) practices would need to stop in K-12 schools or would lose federal funding for their public schools. Federal funding is only about 10 percent but still matters greatly especially for Title l schools that serve higher concentrations of low-income students, as well as for serving the needs of students with disabilities. The Trump administration is arguing that under federal civil rights laws, it has the responsibility to also protect white children from discrimination as much as minority children. States and school districts were directed to respond to the letter certifying they do not discriminate with DEI practices.

The letter was unclear on what is considered DEI so state and district school leaders have struggled over the past two months to determine how to interpret the letter that does not specify if its learning materials, instructional lessons, job hiring, or even extracurriculars like clubs that are considered under “DEI practices.”

The letter to K-12 school letters was similar in intent to one sent to colleges and universities in early February that they faced the loss of federal funding if they continued to include DEI efforts. Soon after, the federal Department of Education created an online portal called “End DEI,” where parents, students, and others can send in complaints about schools that have discriminated under DEI. Parents from anywhere in the country can send in a complaint for a school their child does not even attend. The Department of Education stated that it will use that information to investigate possible discrimination that occurs in a school or its district.

Federal judges in Maryland, New Hampshire, and Washington D.C. have all blocked Trump’s effort at stopping DEI in K-12 schools. They essentially ruled it limits academic freedom, was too vague, and possibly unconstitutional. This means that the administration can not threaten those states to cut funding for the time-being. Later, 19 states sued the Trump administration for illegally putting in jeopardy funding that could be used for disabled students. However, some republican-led states or their local school districts have already certified to the administration that they will not use DEI practices or instruction in schools and some states, including in Texas, Ohio, and Tennessee, are making their own laws around anti-DEI practices in public schools.

There is uncertainty how courts ultimately will rule on efforts by the Trump administration to influence what is taught in schools, as well as whether school districts in Maryland will change anything they currently are doing.

In response to inquiries from The Warrior, MCPS Superintendent Thomas Taylor responded that the school district has no intention to change their values or practices on DEI. Taylor also stated that MCPS did not itself receive any letter from the Trump administration about DEI practices.

Any subject in schools could potentially be targeted in the letter due to the vagueness of what qualifies as a DEI practice, but it’s most likely that any impact would be felt most in social studies and English classes due to the nature of the subjects. Social Studies resource teacher Christine McKeldin does not have concerns about what is being taught to students running afoul of any future anti-DEI efforts. “We’re teaching the real history; we’re teaching the facts,” explained McKeldin.

Jaclynn Lightsey, MCPS Secondary Supervisor for English Language Arts, states MCPS will focus on instruction that is aligned with Maryland Board of Education standards. She added that English teachers in middle and high schools across the county have diverse materials from which to choose from. “We continue to reassure teachers that we will support them as they continue to implement our inclusive curriculum,” Lightsey explained.