Arizona Board of Education takes first step to eliminate DEI language

The Arizona Board of Education took the first step toward changing the state’s teaching standards to remove “diversity, equity and inclusion” language and avoid a confrontation with the Trump administration.

After tabling a similar vote in October, the board unanimously voted to create a group of educators, parents and other stakeholders to recommend revisions to the Arizona Professional Teaching Standards.

The vote comes after President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January threatening to claw back federal education grant funding to diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs.

“We also received, as you’re aware, in February, a communication … directing us that if we’re not in compliance, we stand to lose federal funding and for Arizona, it is over $860 million,” Sid Bailey, associate superintendent at the Arizona Department of Education, told the board on Monday.

The state received notice from the U.S. Department of Education in February, instructing schools to eliminate DEI. The letter states American schools have been discriminating on the basis of race, particularly against white and Asian students.

The department sent another letter in April asking states to certify their compliance with federal civil-rights laws and warned that violations, including the use of DEI programs, would put federal funding at risk.

Most of those demands are blocked by a judge after multiple lawsuits were filed challenging the actions, arguing they were illegal and persecuted teachers for exercising their Constitutional rights. The Trump administration has appealed the ruling.

In the meantime, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has urged the board to begin the process to purge DEI-related language.

The board voted to open up the teaching standards so that a working group could identify and recommend changes to comply with Trump’s executive order. Specifically, the board directed that group to “limit their subsequent recommendations to the technical alignment necessary to comply with the order while preserving necessary pedagogical language to secure high-quality instruction and workforce readiness.”

The Department of Education will now begin creating that group, which is expected to begin meeting in February.

Bailey said the group will include teachers from public district and charter elementary, middle and high schools; school administrators; representatives from educator preparation programs; and parents. The department will also attempt to include representatives from all 15 counties.

He said the group is expected to deliver a draft of its recommended changes to the board by September.