President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14151 on Jan. 20, resulting in the termination of all federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Numerous contracts, grants and programs that support DEI in education were consequently suspended, and the Department of Education archived documents and reports that described and used DEI policies.
On Feb. 14, shortly following the executive order, the DOE initiated a two-week deadline for schools and universities to erase all DEI programs or risk losing federal funding. This motion applied to any educational institution receiving federal financial assistance, ranging from preschools to colleges.
However, California still upholds the Fair Employment and Housing Act which provides protection from harassment or discrimination in employment and housing because of age, disability and more. DEI in education typically includes programs that support inclusive learning environments, support underrepresented student groups and promote cultural understanding. English teacher Derek Lu emphasizes the importance of DEI beyond the FEHA and actively attempts to put the effects of these restrictions into perspective for his students while teaching.
“I talked to my seniors about DEI because some of them are Trump supporters, and they are very vocal about being against DEI,” Lu said. “But I’m like, ‘Hey guys, DEI is not just about employment. DEI is also about things like Girls Who Code. Are you against that? And isn’t it also a DEI program anytime we have a Diwali celebration or a Lunar New Year celebration? Is that also something that should be criminalized?’ And of course, they say, ‘No, we support that.’”
Lu’s perspective emphasizes the important role DEI policies play in school and social experiences, rather than just in the workforce. However, since the termination of DEI programs, several states have seen a decline in these initiatives. For example, in Texas and Florida, school districts and universities have disbanded DEI offices and canceled events tied to identity and culture to avoid losing federal funding. Michigan State University also canceled DEI-related events, including a Lunar New Year celebration, in response to the federal order.
However, California is actively trying to defend DEI programs, with the state Attorney General stating that they are legal and schools have the right to support them. According to Principal Ben Clausnitzer, even if these programs are not supported federally, California still has laws that indirectly maintain DEI policies. Tenure, which is a policy that provides job security to teachers after a probationary period would protect teachers whose class curriculum teaches “pro-DEI” concepts.
“Moving forward, I hope to continue to celebrate cultures and identities we have here at Monta Vista and within FUHSD, but I do know that other states are impacted,” Clausnitzer said. “There are states that have made decisions that might align with the federal level. And for states that make those decisions — whether it be a library thinking about book choices or teachers and administrators thinking about their curricula — it’s a very complicated time right now, and it’s very difficult for individuals to navigate those circumstances. But I think we’re a little bit different here in the state of California.”
In addition to being supported by laws that actively preserve DEI programs, FUHSD does not heavily depend on the federal government for financial support. According to Clausnitzer, only about 3% of the school district’s funding comes from the DOE, so regardless of the financial cuts, FUHSD will continue to be funded sufficiently by local property taxes. FUHSD Director of Business and Fiscal Services Jenina Moreno says that federal funding peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic, then significantly decreased after quarantine ended, since COVID-related emergency funding was no longer needed.
“The feds are cutting funding to several very important programs nationwide, not just education,” Moreno said. “Nobody could have read a magic ball and said that these cuts would ever happen, but the guidance we’ve received so far from the California Department of Education and from the county office of education is to proceed with the assumption that we are going to continue to receive those funds.”
Since President Trump proposed major funding cuts to the DOE, key programs in FUHSD could be impacted. These include Title I for low-income students, Title II for teacher retention and quality, Title III for English learners and Individualized Education Program (IEP) services for students with special needs — all of which could be transferred to other departments to keep them running. In spite of that, Moreno concedes that the district cannot predict how funding may look in the future.
“It is possible to continue those programs with other pots of funding, but anything can change at any moment,” Moreno said. “For next year, I can safely say that we will cover those programs. But going into the future, it’s hard to tell the situation.”
