The Department of Education has begun rolling back Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives following President Donald Trump’s executive orders to end DEI programs in the federal government and restore meritocracy.
The department canceled “ongoing DEI training and service contracts which total over $2.6 million” shortly after the passage of Trump’s executive orders, according to a press release from the department.
The department also placed DEI staff on administrative leave, eliminated DEI councils, and “removed or archived hundreds of guidance documents, reports, and training materials that include mentions of DEI”, the press release noted.
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“These review efforts will continue as the Department works to end discrimination based on race and the use of harmful race stereotypes, both within the agency and throughout America’s education system,” the Dept. of Education wrote in the press release.
The department also removed “over 200 web pages from the Department’s website that housed DEI resources and encouraged schools and institutions of higher education to promote or endorse harmful ideological programs,” according to the press release.
The department removed several pages such as “Resources for LGBTQI+ Students” and “Race, Color, or National Origin Discrimination,” the Associated Press wrote.
The Dept. of Ed also eliminated its Employee Engagement Diversity Equity Inclusion Accessibility Council (EEDIAC), which had been housed under the Office for Civil Rights.
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The Department of Education expressed its mission to continue trying to root out DEI.
“The Department will continue its comprehensive review of all agency programs and services to identify additional initiatives and working groups that may be advancing a divisive DEI agenda, including programs using coded or imprecise language to disguise their activity. Careful review of all public sites and media channels for DEI language and resources will also continue,” the press release noted.
Campus Reform previously reported that the Department of Education spent more than $1 billion on DEI initiatives in higher and secondary education under the Biden administration.
Campus Reform has contacted the U.S. Department of Education. This article will be updated accordingly.
This article was originally published at campusreform.org
