EO Requires Rewriting of School Discipline Policies
On Wednesday, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO), Reinstating Common Sense School Discipline Policies that rejects the use of "discriminatory equity ideology" in classrooms. The EO’s purpose and policy states, “The Federal Government will no longer tolerate known risks to children’s safety and well-being in the classroom that result from the application of school discipline based on discriminatory and unlawful “equity” ideology.”
The order criticizes a 2014 “Dear Colleague” letter from the Obama Administration, which used a disparate-impact framework to assess racial disparities in school discipline. Though rescinded in 2018, similar guidance was reinstated in 2023, prompting this new directive.
The order mandates new guidance from the Department of Education within 30 days, coordination with state leaders, and the development of a revised discipline code for military families. It also calls for a federal report on the impacts of equity-based discipline policies and prohibits the use of taxpayer funds for programs promoting such approaches. The goal is to ensure school discipline is rooted in behavior, safety, and “traditional values,” rather than statistical racial outcomes.