Peoria Unified School District considers getting rid of DEI programs, workshops and curriculum

The Peoria Unified School District Governing Board is considering a policy that gets rid of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, known as DEI.

The policy says the district "believes that educational success should be based solely on merit, academic performance, and individual effort" and therefore it will not engage in programs focused on DEI.

Several people signed up to speak during public comment at a governing board meeting Thursday night. Parent and teacher Trina Berg said the definition of DEI as written in the policy is inaccurate.

“The definition of DEI that you have here is a very just kind of perverted, incorrect meaning of the definition, and I’m not really even sure where that definition came from," Berg said. "This seems like one of those things that has just been said politically over and over and over again to make something that should not be controversial, controversial.”

The policy describes DEI as a framework in which diversity "is seen as the forced inclusion of specific groups regardless of qualifications." It goes on to say that the district will not support or engage in programs, curricula, or initiatives explicitly focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, culturally responsive learning, restorative practices or critical race theory.

“Would this remove, like, Black History Month? What about showcasing women in science [or] Latino/Latina contributions? What about the Middle East Golden Age of science and math during the European Dark Ages? Are we going to have to pull back on that stuff? Because we shouldn’t," Berg said.

Superintendent Kenneth Christopher Somers said the board will take the public's feedback, consider possible revisions and bring those to the next meeting.