Gov. Maura Healey and Attorney General Andrea Campbell are asking that Massachusetts schools continue their diversity, equity and inclusion programs despite Trump administration efforts to end them.
The two issued joint guidance on Wednesday saying current DEI practices within schools, colleges and universities are well within the law, and federal government can’t change legal precedent.
“We believe that bringing people of different backgrounds and perspectives to the table — including women, People of Color and the LGBTQ+ community — is a strength, especially in education. We are committed to working closely with our incredible schools, colleges and universities to support all of our students,” Healey said in a statement.
The guidance comes in the wake of President Donald Trump’s attempts to roll back federal support of DEI efforts , and a Feb. 14 letter from the U.S. Department of Education that stated DEI programs “frequently preference certain racial groups” and “stigmatize students who belong to particular racial groups based on crude racial stereotypes.”
In an apparent escalation on Thursday, the U.S. Department of Education launched an “End DEI” online portal where students, teachers and families can “submit reports of discrimination based on race or sex in publicly-funded K-12 schools.”
Campbell said in a statement, “Despite the Trump Administration’s continued attempts to create confusion and anxiety, the law has not changed, and schools must continue their work to make sure that every student, regardless of background, can access educational opportunities in the Commonwealth.”
DEI practices in Massachusetts schools include requiring that schools admit all students regardless of their background, providing language assistance or translation to students with limited English proficiency, and staff training to prevent discrimination.
Healey and Campbell’s guidance states that those practices are essential to promote fair treatment and eliminate stigmas, as well as provide educational opportunities and social benefits for students.
Max Page, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, said he was pleased with the state’s guidance. He has noticed a shift among members in response to the Trump administration’s actions.
“There’s also a growing fight back to say these things are ridiculous, and then also when it’s very clear these things are illegal people are starting to feel 'No, you know what? We’re going to stand up and defend our schools,'” Page told GBH News.
Several top education officials provided statements in support of the recent Healey guidance as well as more than a dozen elected officials and leaders in the education field.
The Trump administration has threatened to withhold federal funding to public schools over this issue. Massachusetts officials have repeatedly blasted the president for that stance.
Noe Ortega, the state’s commissioner of higher education, said the updated guidance won’t make Massachusetts any larger of a target.
“We want to be leaders in this state,” Ortega said. “[It’s] extremely important to make sure that we’re not just seen as a state that leads in education for some, we want to be a state that leads in education for all.”
