PHILADELPHIA, P.A. (KYW Newsradio) — In a letter to school districts across Pennsylvania, the ACLU of Pennsylvania and the Education Law Center of Pennsylvania, said that the Department of Education mis-stated the law and made sweeping generalizations about things that are strictly state matters, in a recent correspondence to schools that threatened funding for promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
Harold Jordan, the ACLU-PA Nationwide Education Equity Coordinator, pointed to Philadelphia, where there is a standard Black History course that is part of the curriculum, as an example of a curriculum decision that is up to the local school district.
“It is not a decision of the federal government, and so this is an attempt by the new federal government to interfere with what is essentially a local and state matter when it comes to what is taught in the classrooms and how it's taught in the classroom,” said Jordan.
The correspondence from the Department of Education to schools reads in part: “Educational institutions have toxically indoctrinated students with the false premise that the United States is built upon ‘systemic and structural racism.’” It goes on to say that: “Proponents of these discriminatory practices have attempted to further justify them, particularly during the last four years, under the banner of “diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
The ACLU’s letter points out that most programs promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in schools are not only lawful, but that the elimination of these programs could be a violation of existing state and federal law and the First Amendment.
“The suggestion that we can pull your funds instantly, immediately is a scare tactic meant to get schools to take all kinds of measures, to cancel programs, to cancel initiatives, to not even track the progress of students by particular grouping,” said Jordan.
He said the threats from the Department of Education are unenforceable and the ACLU encouraged schools to continue moving forward with programs that support equity. Jordan also said school administrators are encouraged to reach out to the ACLU of Pennsylvania if they need additional guidance.