Head Start centers told to avoid list of words in funding requests : NPR

Some Head Start early childhood programs are being told by the federal government to remove a list of nearly 200 words and phrases from their funding applications or they could be denied. That’s according to recently submitted court documents.

The list of words includes “accessible,” “belong,” “Black,” “disability,” “female,” “minority,” “trauma,” “tribal” and “women.”

The list was submitted on Dec. 5, as part of an ongoing lawsuit filed by Head Start programs in a handful of states – including Pennsylvania, Washington, Wisconsin and Illinois – against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The lawsuit argues that the Trump administration’s ban on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in federal programs conflicts with Head Start’s statutory mandate. That mandate includes, among other things, providing “linguistically and culturally appropriate” services as well as early intervention services for children with disabilities.

In response to NPR requests for comment or clarity on the list, HHS Press Secretary Emily G. Hilliard wrote, “HHS does not comment on ongoing litigation.”

Nationally, Head Start serves roughly 750,000 infants, toddlers and preschool-age children, providing childcare, early learning, free meals, health screenings and family support.

The list came to light through the lawsuit as part of a recent declaration from the executive director of a Wisconsin-based Head Start program that has been receiving federal funding for over 50 years. The program’s director, identified in the document by a pseudonym, Mary Roe, explained that she submitted a regular funding renewal request to HHS on Sept. 30.

According to the declaration, Roe received two emails from HHS on Nov. 19. One briefly explained that her grant application was being returned and instructed her to “please remove the following words from your application.” The email contained a list of 19 words including “Racism,” “Race” and “Racial.”

Shortly after that, Roe said in her declaration, she received a second email, this one from her assigned program specialist at HHS, who wrote: “I wanted to follow-up with you concerning your application. I sent it back asking for the removal of particular words and I wanted to provide you with the complete list of words to make sure are not in your applications.”

Included with that second email was a list of nearly 200 words and phrases titled: “Words to limit or avoid in government documents.”

Both emails were included in the suit, though the program specialist’s name was redacted. It is unclear if or how many other Head Start programs have received similar guidance.

In her declaration, Mary Roe said the word ban has put her in an “impossible situation” because the federal Head Start Act contains many of the words programs are now being told to avoid.

One contradiction Roe highlighted is Head Start’s longstanding responsibility “to create inclusive and accessible classrooms for children with disabilities,” she stated. Yet she was advised by HHS to avoid the words “disability,” “disabilities” and “inclusion” in her funding application.

Roe also declared that she worries that removing such words might satisfy the current administration – but run afoul of existing law.

Disability-rights advocates condemned the list, pointing out that many Head Start programs also receive federal funding through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act specifically to identify and support young children with disabilities.

“Banning the word ‘disability’ from Head Start is morally repugnant and a violation of federal law,” says Jacqueline Rodriguez of the National Center for Learning Disabilities. “No administration can claim to support children with disabilities while banning the very word that protects them.”

Separate court documents related to this lawsuit also show that a Head Start program located on a Native American reservation was told to remove sections from its application that are necessary for the program to prioritize services for tribal members and their descendants – something allowed by federal law.

The word “tribal” is also on the list of words to limit or avoid on Head Start applications.

In a January executive action, the White House said “illegal DEI and DEIA policies not only violate the text and spirit of our longstanding Federal civil-rights laws, they also undermine our national unity, as they deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system.”

In March, the Office of Head Start sent an email to all grant recipients explaining that it would no longer approve funding requests for any activities “that promote or take part in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.”

See the full declaration below. The list of words “to limit or avoid” begins on page 31.