Trump Seeks to Ban Gender and Race Lessons in Schools; Transgender Athletes, Diversity Offices Targeted
Trump intends to enforce his 'anti-wokeness' policies by withholding federal funds.
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After announcing plans to shut down the Department of Education, Donald Trump has another goal during the first few months of his second term.
The newly-President-elect, in particular, plans to reshape education by removing what he sees as "wokeness" and "left-wing indoctrination" from schools.
Trump's New Educational Policies
During his second term, Trump's proposals include banning lessons on gender identity and structural racism, abolishing diversity and inclusion offices, and restricting transgender athletes in girls' sports. AP News also added that he intends to use federal funding as a tool to enforce these changes, pledging to cut money from schools that defy his policies.
Trump's education platform includes a major shift in policy as well.
To be specific, he wants to eliminate the US Education Department and transfer responsibilities to states, claiming it has been infiltrated by radicals. With this, he aims to prioritize school choice, removing teacher tenure, and allowing parents to elect school principals.
More than that, Trump is also moving to use federal civil rights enforcement to influence schools and colleges. This includes withholding funding from institutions that have diversity offices or violate his proposed rules. He has hinted at legislative actions, such as fining universities over diversity programs and taxing large endowments.
Although it will be met with resistance, part of Trump's educational policy is to promote "patriotic education" through initiatives like reinstating the 1776 Commission and creating a new credentialing body for teachers.
However, critics argue these measures would harm public education and reduce essential support for low-income and special-needs students, per Bloomberg. At the same time, opponents believe that these policies are fear-driven and lack evidence of widespread issues.
For now, many experts see that these sweeping changes will be met with rigorous congressional approval. But it's also worth noting that the congress will be dominated by Republicans under his second term.
