'We're just an inclusive district,' Confusion amid DOE mandate to cut DEI

 

BENTON HARBOR, Mich.-- American schools have been mandated by the Department of Education to end all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. Districts like Benton Harbor Area Schools are continuing business as usual. Superintendent Kelvin Butts says they don't have any DEI programs to cut.

"We're just an inclusive school district. We haven't had -- we do not have an identified DEI program per se --we're just an inclusive district," Butts said.

The department of education under Trump's second president Is mandating schools to end all DEI efforts which GOP leaders call discriminatory or else risk losing federal funding.

"I don't think there's a clear understanding of what DEI actually is and what it does," Butts said.

But school administrators like Butts are left confused, many telling ABC57 they have no such discriminatory practices to cut. For Coloma Schools Superintendent Dave Ehlers, nothing needs to change.

"We believe in all kids learning, we do everything we can to get all our kids learned," he said. "We didn't see a need to do anything different, I think that's pretty solid in the county."

Now, the Department of Education launched its "End DEI" website, enddei.ed.gov, an easy-to-access page that allows anyone to report school for discriminatory practices.

"When you set out something of that nature, that type of website, it politicizes and weaponizes so many people to do nefarious things," Butts said.

Benton Harbor is a Title I district, so it gets nearly 30 percent funded by the federal government. DEI confusion aside, if the DOE is abolished, which President Trump says is a goal of his, that would mean, federal funding cuts regardless. Butts says it would really hurt Benton Harbor Area Schools.

"As we look at the executive orders that are coming out, and the possibility of dismantling the department of education, those fundings are under scrutiny right now," Butts said. "Things are moving incredibly fast under this new administration. So we just take it day by day, making sure that we are adjusting accordingly."