Dayton Public Schools is standing firm on its refusal to sign a Trump administration directive that argues that diversity, equity and inclusion programs violate civil rights laws.
"It's another version of trying to continue to roll back affirmative action," said DPS Superintendent David Lawrence.
According to the Trump administration, this action fights discrimination in K-12 schools by dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs. This month, the U.S. Department of Education has sent out this directive in two letters to all state education departments. They in turn emailed it to all of their public school districts and federally funded charter schools.
The Dayton Public Schools received a letter and has another opportunity to sign the directive, but the district is once again rejecting the offer.
DPS and other school districts across the nation risk millions of dollars in federal aid if they refuse to sign this directive.
During a recent visit to Dayton, WYSO asked U.S. Rep. Mike Turner (R-Dayton) his view on this recent move by the Trump administration. He had no comment.
The U.S. Department of Education says it has the authority to issue this national directive because of Title VI (6) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It prohibits programs and activities receiving federal funds from discriminating against people based on race, color or national origin.
"They're saying to stop drawing these lines of distinction between people, we're all the same. And educators across the nation are saying, no kids aren't," insisted Lawrence. "Kids are not all the same. We differentiate instruction, we differentiate resources, we differentiate programming to figure out the best possible fit to make a difference for all kids, but they're not all the same."
Last week, DPS’s Board of Education voted unanimously 7-0 to reject signing the federal directive.
"I was proud of this board to take a stand. You can’t always be in these fights but sometimes you have to be principled," board member William Smith stated.
Refusal to sign this directive could cost DPS about
$50 million in federal funds and Lawrence could lose his license and job.
There are 615 school districts in Ohio. According to Lawrence, 553 have signed the federal directive.
Ohio's neighbors are divided on the issue. Indiana and Kentucky education departments have said they will sign the compliance directive. Michigan and Pennsylvania say they will not sign the federal letter. Pennsylvania says the federal request lacks clarity.
