TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDERS ON DISCLIPINE IN EDUCATION

The Trump Administration is taking decisive action in the realm of education through a new executive order. In January 2014, the Department of Education and the Department of Justice jointly issued a “Dear Colleague” letter concerning school discipline. This letter clearly stated that schools could face serious repercussions under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, including the loss of federal funding, if their disciplinary policies fell afoul of a newly established disparate-impact framework. This framework suggested that even race-neutral disciplinary policies could be deemed improper if they led to higher suspension, expulsion, or law enforcement referral rates for any racial group. Essentially, this letter forced schools to incorporate race into their discipline decisions, rather than relying solely on objective behavioral standards. Following the Commission’s report on December 18, 2018, the 2014 Dear Colleague letter was rightly rescinded. However, in 2023, the previous administration’s Department of Education and Department of Justice issued new guidance that continued to propagate this flawed ideology, asserting that racial disparities in student discipline might indicate legal violations. They encouraged schools to analyze and modify their disciplinary policies based on racial data. This guidance effectively reinstated the harmful practice of weaponizing Title VI to enforce an ideology of discriminatory equity in school discipline. The consequences of these misguided policies are clear: teachers and students are facing escalating levels of classroom disorder and school violence. By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, I am taking a stand to ensure safety and order in American classrooms. Therefore, I hereby order: Section 1. Purpose and Policy. The Federal Government will not tolerate known risks to children’s safety and well-being in classrooms that result from the application of school discipline based on discriminatory and unlawful “equity” ideology.