These Executive Orders Can Hit Black Students the Hardest

By Aziah Siid, Word in Black

When President Donald Trump signed a barrage of controversial executive orders rolling back civil rights protections and racial equity policies, he didn’t explicitly address education. But he did set the tone for what schools and education policy leaders should expect during the next four years.

That includes an end to diversity in teacher hiring, a green light for immigration officers to raid public schools, no government protection for LGBTQ+ students, and no pushback for districts that ban books or restrict teaching Black history. 

Just hours after taking the oath of office, Trump signed dozens of his own executive orders and rescinded almost 80 orders signed by the Biden administration. Many of these executive orders have already been implemented, while others will likely be challenged in court and overturned. The overall effect, however, signaled a decisive break with former President Joe Biden’s educational policies. 

For example, after Trump signed the order titled, “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing,” the Education Department almost immediately took several steps to dismantle its Biden-era DEI programs and practices.

“Illegal DEI and DEIA policies not only violate the text and spirit of our longstanding Federal civil-rights laws,” according to the executive order. “They also undermine our national unity, as they deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system.” 

Almost immediately, the Education Department put employees charged with leading DEI initiatives on paid administrative leave, but did not clarify how many staffers had been suspended, according to USA Today. The paper reported that department officials said they also canceled millions of dollars in contracts related to DEI training and services.

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The potential educational impact can range from districts no longer feeling the need to hire Black teachers or teach American history that includes honest accounts of slavery and Jim Crow. 

Discover Trump’s other changes to education policies.

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