The U.S. Department of Education is asking the public to report practices of diversity, equity, and inclusion in public schools, the Trump administration’s latest move to go after schools for what it calls “divisive ideologies” and “indoctrination.”
The agency on Thursday launched a public portal—EndDEI.Ed.Gov—for parents, students, teachers, and the broader community to report practices of discrimination based on race or sex in publicly-funded K-12 schools.
This new effort comes just before the Feb. 28 deadline that the Trump administration set for K-12 schools and universities to end DEI practices or risk losing federal funding.
The portal webpage, titled “Students should be focused on learning,” states that the Education Department is committed to providing students with “meaningful learning, free of divisive ideologies and indoctrination.” The form allows people to report “illegal discriminatory practices at institutions of learning.” The message on the portal says the department will use submissions to “identify potential areas for investigation.”
A co-founder of Moms for Liberty, a conservative parents-rights group that supports efforts to rid public schools of teaching about race, gender, and LGBTQ+ issues, said the portal was a necessary tool for the public and parents.
“The portal empowers parents to be able to take action when they see destructive DEI or critical race theory happening in the classroom,” said Tina Descovich, a co-founder and executive director of Moms for Liberty. “President Trump signed an executive order, but parents are coming to us saying, ‘Our school districts are not listening.’ This [portal] gives them a tool to document where this is still happening.”
Another national parents’ organization—the National Parents Union—slammed the portal as a “weapon to attack and cause chaos” in a post on X.
Teacher groups and supporters of DEI already have been pushing back against the Trump administration’s campaign to purge public schools of DEI practices. The American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association sued the department over its Feb. 14 “dear colleague” letter that gave schools and universities 14 days to end all DEI practices.
And a federal judge in Maryland recently blocked parts of Trump’s executive orders that abruptly ended spending on DEI-related contracts throughout the federal government.
States have set up similar systems for reporting DEI and critical race theory
The federal portal isn’t a new strategy to monitor DEI practices. In 2021 and 2022, states such as Virginia and New Hampshire announced similar tip lines to report the use of critical race theory in classrooms. There were reports of misuse of the form in Virginia.
But Descovich says the federal portal will be helpful.
“There are plenty of instances where [DEI practices] are happening, credible places,” she said. “Hopefully, the line can be shut down eventually but right now I think it’s important for it to be available.”
Individuals who submit the form are asked to provide an email address, the name of the school or school district, ZIP code, incident details, and an option to upload files.
2025-02-28 00:25:27
Source link
