The Arizona Board of Education will remove language from K–12 curricula and policies that promote progressive racial and gender ideology and violate Civil Rights laws, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said this week.
The move complies with President Donald Trump’s executive order prohibiting DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) practices in education, which also includes preferential hiring based on race; affinity groups organized by race, gender, and religion; and mandatory diversity training.
Critical race theory, “non-racist math”, and LGBT story hours are examples of DEI in student instruction.
Horne said public schools in his state risk losing $866 million in federal funding if these changes aren’t made.
“There is a philosophical issue at stake, too. All people should be judged based on their character and ability, not their race or ethnicity. DEI language and programs promote the exact opposite, and they have no place in the classroom.”
The process begins next month, with a draft of revisions expected in September. A working group for this task should include representation from all 15 counties, including teachers and administrators, according to the news release.
The Arizona Education Association teachers’ union opposes the measure, saying students who are still learning English will be impacted, and that important history lessons on the Navajo code talkers, the Tuskegee Airmen, and female Air Force pilots will be eliminated.
It could also end programs that protect students from sexual assaults.
Neither district has a dedicated office for DEI, equity, affirmative action, or something similar.
But Phoenix Union does have affinity groups for students, which could come under scrutiny in the months ahead.
This includes an African American club, a black student union, a gay/straight alliance, a gender sexualities alliance, a Native American club, and a society for female scholars, according to its website.