That isn’t the American way things work, but people elected to school boards may not be familiar with Schoolhouse Rock.
My letter to school board members:
The Trump executive orders can’t legally change any law regarding civil rights and nothing issued from the White House requires any changes to school or district policies or practices. These confusing, irrational, and rudely worded orders are however probably causing a lot of stress for parents and families, and probably the kids too, and that’s wrong. Schools should NOT be places with toxic atmospheres that traumatize kids, that should be obvious. You have my support in our community to protect our schools so they are a welcoming place for all students and everyone has safe access to education with all rights honored.
Please feel free to copy or repurpose the contents of my letter for your own letters to reps.
The wording of the response I got from the president of the school board makes it clear that they do believe these “anti-DEI” edicts from the White House can overturn, for example, ADA law.
Ty Holmes in an email to Chloe Humbert Feb 2, 2025, 12:26 PM: “Regarding DEI and recent executive orders, we recognize that these matters are still unfolding at the federal level. At this time, I do not believe there is an immediate impact on our district. However, as clarity emerges through the legal and governmental process, we will continue to navigate any changes with thoughtfulness and a focus on our students’ and staff members well-being.”
ACLU – ReNika Moore, January 24, 2025 The Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard left colleges and universities with several pathways to advance educational equity. The decision had no bearing on K-12 education, where schools must continue to identify and address barriers to equitable learning environments. At a minimum, schools are required to comply with federal and state civil rights laws that ensure educational opportunities are provided on an equal basis. This means reviewing policies and practices to ensure they don’t unnecessarily limit opportunities based on race or other protected characteristics. Schools must also work to foster a climate where all students can access and thrive in their educational pursuits. Now, more than ever, educational institutions must resist intimidation and reaffirm their commitment to identifying and removing barriers to equal opportunity. Programs labeled as DEIA encompass a broad range of lawful initiatives that create fairer workplaces and schools. The executive orders attempt to conflate these lawful efforts with discrimination, weaponizing enforcement to bully institutions into abandoning critical programs and taking steps to try to eliminate protections against discrimination by government contractors. However, no court has declared DEIA efforts inherently illegal, and President Trump cannot override decades of legal precedent.
If you think that Trump’s central government discriminatory chaos edicts aren’t going to affect your blue enclaves because they’re not legal, I suggest you think again.
Scranton is a blue city in a blue county in northeastern Pennsylvania, with a Dem governor in PA, and local Dem reps in the state government and a mayor who worked on Dem political campaigns including the Obama campaign and worked in the Obama administration. And Ty Holmes is the first Black Scranton School District School Board Director.
More info on the Scranton School Director:
OPINION: Chris Kelly Opinion: Want a Scranton School Board seat? Take the DeNaples challenge Chris Kelly, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa. Wed, April 28, 2021 at 8:17 AM EDT “I expected it, but it’s sad because you don’t get to serve 25 years if you have questionable morals,” Holmes told me in a telephone interview on Tuesday. “If people don’t take that into consideration because of who I’m married to or what their perception of someone is that automatically I’m a corrupt person, that’s ridiculous.” Holmes’ wife Margie — a teacher at Bancroft Elementary — is Louis DeNaples’ niece, which makes “Uncle Louie” Holmes’ actual uncle — by marriage. To some, this connection is disqualifying. These critics affix “the Scarlet D” to Holmes and dismiss him outright as the latest in a decadeslong line of corrupt flunkies DeNaples has installed in positions of power to do his bidding at public expense.
UPDATE:
I’ve heard from another school board member.
Tom Borthwick: “I’m with you. What’s right is right, period.”
He reports that the district has a fair and solid policy. It’s a relief to hear an solid statement toward fairness from someone in a position of leadership.
The Bucks County Beacon Letters: When Bucks County School Districts Actually Need to Allow ICE Agents Inside Schools, The Importance of Pennsylvania’s 2025 Judicial Elections Bucks County Beacon readers sound off. | February 1, 2025 Presidential Executive Orders and Memos do not legally and constitutionally countermand laws that already protect undocumented students in Pennsylvania. The federal law Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 prohibits disclosure of a student’s personally identifiable information without parental consent to anyone with very few exceptions including ICE agents, unless a judicial order or a lawfully issued subpoena is presented to school officials. In addition, the 1982 Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe, affirms that the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees all school age children a free appropriate public education regardless of immigration status.