Donald Trump's executive order attacking the visibility of Black and LGBTQ students isn't getting as much attention in the media as it should. But at least someone is covering it. Last year's GLAAD Media Award winner (in the category of Outstanding Blog) Erin Reed is finding out some very positive things about it. Apparently, school systems across the nation are saying that they will defy Trump.
On Thursday, Julie Yang, President of the Montgomery County Board of Education in Maryland, issued a forceful response to Trump’s executive order in a mass email to families. Representing a school district of 160,000 students, Yang affirmed that Montgomery County would continue to recognize gender identity as a protected characteristic. “We stand by our community and school system values, which include learning, relationships, respect, excellence, and equity. They guide us every day and anchor us when navigating difficult times. We intend to use all legal means necessary to uphold them… We are committed to maintaining local authority over our curriculum, teaching, and learning. And we will fiercely support our teachers and staff as they implement our curriculum and policies.”
Harrisonburg City Public Schools Superintendent Michael Richards also issued a strong response to Trump’s executive order. The district was one of three specifically named in the order for its policies supporting transgender students. In his statement, Richards pushed back forcefully, saying, “The claims in their statement are false. We do not have a policy that violates anyone’s rights or indoctrinates children. What we do have is a culture of respect—one that honors the dignity and diversity of all students, families, and educators.”
San Francisco Unified School District also responded to Trump’s executive order, affirming that it would continue to embrace its diversity as a core strength. “This includes our district’s trans-identified students and all of our LGBTQ+ students and families,” the statement read. The district made clear that its core values would not change, emphasizing its commitment to supporting all students’ rights, including “addressing students using the name and pronoun that reflects who they are” and “providing access to school activities, spaces such as locker rooms and restrooms, and gender-neutral dress codes that fit with their gender identity.”
As Dana Goldstein at the New York Times reports, "States and localities provide 90 percent of the funding for public education — and have the sole power to set curriculums, tests, teaching methods and school-choice policies." What federal funding exists "goes out to states in a formula set by Congress, and the president has little power to restrict its flow." State and local officials in blue states and cities are already telling Trump where to shove his executive order.
. . . As I learned covering a school curriculum fight swing county in suburban Pennsylvania in 2023, parents will often put up an extraordinary fight to wrest control back from right-wing ideologues. It's not because they're "woke" and want to "indoctrinate" children with leftist ideals. Many of these parents were not especially political people, especially compared to their conservative opponents, who were rabidly ideological. Their concerns were kids having a real education and a safe environment to learn in. I didn't get the sense that parents were overly worried their kids would be "indoctrinated" by the right-wing propaganda that Republicans were pushing on the school district. Instead, they were worried about what kids weren't learning if teachers were wasting time with fake lessons about a MAGA fantasy of the past.
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