Trump Administration Moves to Eliminate DEI Initiatives at Department of Education

President Donald Trump's Department of Education (DoEd) began eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and dismissed what it called "Biden's Book Ban Hoax" in the first week of Trump's second term.

In response to Trump's executive order cracking down on DEI in the federal government, as well as guidance from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the department stated it removed or archived hundreds of DEI guidance documents, reports, and training materials from its external communication channels. The DoEd also placed employees in charge of leading DEI initiatives on paid administrative leave.

"These actions are in line with President Trump's ongoing commitment to end illegal discrimination and wasteful spending across the federal government. They are the first step in reorienting the agency toward prioritizing meaningful learning ahead of divisive ideology in our schools," the department noted in a press release.

The department specifically dissolved its Diversity & Inclusion Council, which was established via executive order by then-President Barack Obama. Trump rescinded that Obama-era executive order and issued a new one called "Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing," which ultimately terminated the council, along with the Employee Engagement Diversity Equity Inclusion Accessibility Council (EEDIAC) within the Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

The DoEd also stated that it will continue to review its programs 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."

"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 department added.

Trump's DoEd also declared an end to "Biden's Book Ban Hoax." During the Biden administration, parents and conservatives campaigned against inappropriate, and sometimes pornographic, materials in schools. While concerned parents and local school boards argued that they should have more control over shaping curriculum and the types of materials in school libraries, Democrats and teachers' unions characterized the effort as "book banning."

Incoming OCR leadership initiated a review of pending "book banning" cases at the department on January 20, confirming that "books are not being 'banned,' but... school districts, in consultation with parents and community stakeholders, have established commonsense processes to evaluate and remove age-inappropriate materials," according to the DoEd.

The department's OCR ultimately dismissed 11 complaints related to so-called "book bans." The complaints claimed that the removal of inappropriate or obscene materials from school libraries created a hostile environment for students—a claim the DoEd termed "meritless" and "premised upon a dubious legal theory."

As of January 24, the OCR rescinded all guidance issued under that legal theory, which claimed that removing inappropriate books from school libraries might violate civil rights laws. The OCR additionally dismissed six pending allegations of book banning and will no longer employ a "book ban coordinator" to investigate local school districts and parents.

"Because this is a question of parental and community judgment, not civil rights, OCR has no role in these matters," the department stated in a press release.

Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor commented that the department's efforts represent the "beginning [of] the process of restoring the fundamental rights of parents to direct their children's education."

"The department adheres to the deeply rooted American principle that local control over public education best allows parents and teachers alike to assess the educational needs of their children and communities. Parents and school boards have broad discretion to fulfill that important responsibility. These decisions will no longer be second-guessed by the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education," Trainor concluded.