The U.S. Department of Education has released new guidance that has the effect of ensuring Diversity, Equity and Diversion (DEI) elements are removed from public schools, according to Arizona schools chief Tom Horne.
Horne stated, “The new guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Education states that ‘No public school, teacher, or school official should ever coerce or press a student to engage in speech or affirm a viewpoint that would violate the student’s sincere religious beliefs.’ Numerous DEI precepts violate widespread religious beliefs, such as urging students to change genders, age-inappropriate sexual lessons, and other elements that may demean a student’s religious beliefs.”
The federal document issued February 5th, is guidance on Constitutionally protected prayer and religious expression in public elementary and secondary schools. It says that to receive federal funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, a district or charter school must certify that none of its policies prevent, or otherwise deny, participation in Constitutionally protected prayer in public schools. Schools that fail to comply with the guidance risk the loss of federal education dollars.
Horne added, “My department already requires schools to answer questions pertaining to Critical Race Theory, DEI, and other matters. Those answers are posted on our public reporting of school grades, at azed.gov to help parents choose schools for their children. We will add this question to our list and report answers not only on our website, but also, as required, to the federal government. Those with unsatisfactory answers to this question will then be deprived of federal funds.”
Under the guidance, schools may not suppress religious expression but also may not coerce it. A United States Supreme Court decision (Mahmoud v. Taylor) upheld the complaints of families of diverse religious faiths to mandatory public elementary school curriculum endorsing gay unions and transgender identities, where the family’s religious teachings were contrary to those lessons.
The guidance requires annual reporting to be submitted by state departments of education to the federal government beginning in November of this year.
Well said Pygalgic. Also what’s with the picture accompanying the article? Are we to believe the only brainwashes are usually of a religious sect? How about just science, which totally debunks 50 genders! This is common knowledge that two genders is all there is! And the slight margin of gender disphoria has deliberately been pushed to ‘grow’ so as to validate propagandizing kids! Seriously people. Get a life!
re: ‘No public school, teacher, or school official should ever coerce or press a student to engage in speech or affirm a viewpoint that would violate the student’s sincere religious beliefs.’
I just don’t see why there needs to be a religious exemption to indoctrination and brainwashing. Asserting that there are only two genders doesn’t require faith, merely an innate understanding of biology. Comprehending that racism doesn’t stop being racism based on which race is being maligned doesn’t require holy text, just a rational mind and an basic understanding of the English language. One doesn’t need deities to understand that DEI is fundamentally bigoted, exclusionary, and singularly ideological; no child should be left unprotected from the ‘gentle ministrations’ of Marxist monsters.