The Donald Trump administration is taking a daunting step towards eliminating multiple civil rights settlements that ensure transgender students have the right to equal education opportunities.
This ultimately forces schools to comply with the government’s understanding of federal anti-discrimination laws. The New York Times reports that the terminations are an escalation of the administration’s attempts to enforce President Trump’s executive order that the government can only recognize a person’s sex that was assigned at birth.
The NYT states, “The actions show how the administration’s campaign to erase diversity, equity and inclusion policies has sharpened to root out specific civil rights protections, particularly for students participating in school programs or activities based on their gender identity instead of their biological sex.”
Those were my exact thoughts when I first found out about this, and I could not agree more. I simply cannot wrap my head around why we would want to erase diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). This outlook that the Trump administration has underscores concerns about terminating DEI. The concerns I have are that vulnerable students now have limited opportunities to learn.
Classrooms should be a safe space for students to express themselves and feel comfortable and supported in the learning environment they are a part of. Rooting these laws in the classroom undermines that idea and does not create a fair environment for students. America is supposed to be the land of the free, but this does not align with that at all. Being free would mean you can express yourself however you please, not under certain limitations enforced by the government.
“The Trump administration has opened at least 40 civil rights investigations into educational institutions that provide protections for transgender students. It has also sued state education departments and high school athletic associations in California and Minnesota over policies that permit transgender athletes to participate in school sports. A total of 27 states have restricted the participation of transgender athletes in school sports,” according to The NYT.
Maybe it’s just not in my nature to intentionally single out any one person or group and make them a target. But with that said, these actions feel incredibly troublesome because they do just that: Intentionally single out one group of people. It appears that the goal is to target and exclude transgender students, rebelling against the concept of a fair and comfortable environment. Schools need to ensure they uphold equal rights in the classroom.
The NYT reported, “Education Department officials said they were terminating agreements that were similarly based on gender-related civil rights investigations, including ones with the Sacramento City Unified School District in California; the Cape Henlopen School District in Lewes, Del.; and the Fife School District in Milton, Wash.”
I have always heard the saying ‘it’s always one step forward and two steps back.’ I try to remind myself that regarding things that you can control in your life, it does not have to feel that way. However, this situation is absurd and feels exactly like taking steps in the opposite direction of where we need to be as a functioning society. Civil rights protections being ceased risks the safety of all students, especially those in marginalized groups.
It is essential that you make yourself aware of the issues going on in the government as much as you can. No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, staying informed on current events only benefits you and everyone else around you. We need to protect the rights of all students. Everyone deserves an equal opportunity to be able to learn and grow in the classroom and feel supported and accepted. If they don’t, their learning experience is jeopardized.
Ali Barretta can be contacted at
