Late last week the acting assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights issued a Dear Colleague letter directing swift actions across the county. This letter essentially told educational institutions they have 14 days to update policies and cease pushing all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) related programs or potentially lose federal funding.
This is the ultimatum I personally have been waiting for since Nov. 6, 2024.
Some of us realize that President Trump is moving much faster in his second term than his first. No longer allowing institutions to slowly comply with his directives, he’s putting his expectations into writing and expecting immediate action. This is a welcome change for millions of grassroots activists across the county. Yet the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) does not seem to understand this.
When Trump issued the Ending Radical Indoctrination In K-12 Schooling and Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government executive orders (EO), I contacted State Superintendent Eric Mackey and ALSDE board members. I provided a list of six concerns for our public schools regarding compliance with the newly singed EOs. My objective was simply to highlight the depths of radical ideologies in our state and encourage ALSDE to begin assessing these programs.
The response was passive and full of denial. Mackey assured me Alabama has not “included various concepts that others may [have].” District 8 State Board of Education member Wayne Reynolds assured me, “Each member of the State Board of Education is opposed to any inappropriate curriculum content.”
The irony of denial isn’t lost on me. I sent an email highlighting various programs currently in our public schools with supporting documentation to prove that these programs are indoctrination, and the response was complete dismissal.
Unfortunately for ALSDE and the State School Board, I do my homework. I research and analyze topics in extreme detail. I am also not the type to sit down and shut up simply due to a dismissive email.
As I’ve mentioned in previous writings, the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) is embedded within every school across Alabama. The Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance State Model for Alabama Public Schools was approved by the State Board of Education back in 2003. It clearly states, “The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs should be used by all Alabama public schools for developing and implementing comprehensive, outcome-based school counseling and guidance programs that meet the needs of all students."
In other words, the ASCA is embedded within every single public school in Alabama at the direction of ALSDE. This directive is a massive problem now that states have 14 days to remove DEI-related content because ASCA is a big DEI proponent.
ASCA’s beliefs and opinions are public knowledge and shared in their position statements. The following position statements highlight the radical ideologies directly conflicting with Trump’s EOs, as well as the recent Dear Colleague letter.
The Dear Colleague letter gives a short timeline for corrective action – 14 days from the day it was signed. Thus, at the end of February, ALSDE must accomplish the following or potentially lose funding for our public schools:
1) Ensure that policies and actions comply with existing civil rights law;
2) Cease all efforts to circumvent prohibitions on the use of race by relying on proxies or other indirect means to accomplish such ends;
3) Cease all reliance on third-party contractors, clearinghouses, or aggregators that are being used by institutions in an effort to circumvent prohibited uses of race.
This is a huge lift for an institution unwilling to even admit they are pushing radical ideologies onto children. Will Alabama complete the necessary requirements within the specified time? I highly doubt it, especially since when I contacted ALSDE weeks back, simply highlighting programs of concern, the immediate denial and dismissal proved their resistance to change.
In short, allowing the current counseling guidance for Alabama public schools to remain in place and maintaining connectivity to the ASCA puts all Alabama schools in jeopardy of losing federal funding. Individual schools are now stuck between following the guidance of the ALSDE approved comprehensive counseling guide or presidential directives in the form of EOs and Dear Colleague letters.
Parents across the state are now armed with legal recourse to fight this battle, but that requires reporting their child’s school. Accountability is a difficult balancing act but is a tool we all must become more comfortable using. We the parents must get comfortable shining the light on public institutions influencing our children, holding them accountable to our standards and expectations. In this case, we must be willing to report non-compliance with Trump’s EOs and Dear Colleague Letter to clean up the public school system once and for all.
Emily Jones is a native of North Alabama and the content contributor of The Controversial Mom podcast on Right Side Radio. She is the founder of the first Moms for Liberty chapter in the state seeking to fight for the preservation of parental rights and the protection of our children.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please email your name and contact information to Commentary@1819news.com.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
