Schools in Rochester, NY, Grapple With DEI Policies in the Age of Trump
“support for the use of DEI statements in hiring recently has begun to wane as some of the nation’s top colleges and universities have dropped them”
There are probably thousands of schools across the country that are having this debate right now.
Peter Lovenheim writes at the Rochester Beacon:
Schools, hiring and DEI
Throughout the Rochester area, tens of thousands of K-12 students—at least 80 percent of students in 11 districts surveyed by the Beacon—attend public schools where teachers and administrators are asked before hiring to explain their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Most of these job applicants are required to submit written DEI statements.
The use of required DEI statements—also called diversity statements—by American schools and colleges increased in recent years as DEI initiatives proliferated. In New York, the Board of Regents and state Education Department have supported DEI efforts since 2021 and in August 2023 notified all school districts in the state that they are expected to “develop policies and implement practices that advance diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
But support for the use of DEI statements in hiring recently has begun to wane as some of the nation’s top colleges and universities have dropped them. In 2024—before the Nov. 6 election—the University of Michigan, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology all ended use of DEI statements. MIT president Sally Kornbluth said at the time that the university could “build an inclusive environment in many ways, but compelled statements impinge on freedom of expression, and they don’t work.”
And now, school districts that use DEI statements could be at substantial risk financially. The Trump administration has issued an executive order threatening to cut off federal funding for the continued use of DEI in teacher hiring and instruction. A lot of money is at stake: Local school districts in the Rochester area receive millions of dollars in federal support.
Kevin McGowan, superintendent of the Brighton Central School District, says a conversation about possible funding cuts tied to DEI—both among his leadership team and with other school superintendents—has been “constant” since President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration.
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Comments
“MIT president Sally Kornbluth said at the time that the university could “build an inclusive environment in many ways, but compelled statements impinge on freedom of expression, and they don’t work.”
And I’m ashamed that “logical scientists” couldn’t reason this out a priori.
Ah well, they also champion gun control. The curse of human groupthink poisons all,
DEI statements are a means of screening out any politically conservative, moderate, or Republican candidates. When required of job applicants, DEI statements are a form of compelled political speech. They are an obvious violation of First Amendment rights.
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