Dear Colorado Department of Education Administration,
On April 3, every school district in the country was faced with a challenging decision to be made in 10 days: either sign a certification that confirms the removal of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs or face the removal of federal funding. For Creek, that would be five percent or nearly $47 million dollars to be cut. That funding is used for programs supporting students with disabilities, lower income student support, and teachers grants and salaries.
On April 9, the Colorado State Education Commissioner Susana Córdova released a letter to 179 school districts explaining that the state will not be collecting signed copies of the certification. Córdova explained her concerns with the ambiguity and the fact that CCSD already agreed to follows Title VI in the letter.
We are very grateful to the State Education Commissioner for protecting DEI programs and keeping our school an open and welcoming place.
DEI is an umbrella term used to describe policies that seek fair treatment and participation for underrepresented groups, forcing organizations to prevent discrimination and comply with civil rights laws – it’s something that’s absolutely crucial to the function of our school.
We’re taking a moment to explore why we’re so pleased with the state and the district’s decision here. If we had different leadership – people that were more willing to cave to the Trump administration – here’s what we could expect.
For one, many of our clubs would have to go. Gay Straight Alliance, Students Organized Against Racism, Asian Leadership Organization, Chinese club, and others that are meant to promote minority students being proud of their culture would need to be dismantled.
The removal of DEI programs would put students with disabilities at severe risk, as they would have no support with individualized curriculum. Most importantly, it would remove funding for teachers, special education (SPED) training, and grants. The removal of funding for training would make it nearly impossible for SPED teachers to gain the education needed to become licensed.
The ban would affect classes like African American Literature and even parts of English and history classes. Teachers would have to be careful about how much they teach about minorities, classes might skip important pieces of history, and teaching books without minority characters would be expected. The Trump administration sees classes discussing topics like LGBTQ+ identities and racism as discriminatory and favoring one group of Americans over another. Put simply, this administration sees groups that appreciate minorities as a way of discrediting and under-representing the white population.
Signing the letter could’ve also meant the end of CCSD’s non-discrimination policies and no more celebrations of things like women’s history month, Black history month, or any diverse library displays.
Without DEI in the district, students across every CCSD school could see major losses. We’re so thankful that the district made the right call, protecting our values. Even though removing DEI programs seems like a direct violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Trump Administration says it is not. They commented on it, saying that schools could engage in historical observances like Black history month, but could not engage in racial exclusion or discrimination that schools have created under the initiative of DEI.
“[I] do not feel comfortable signing a certification that lacks definitions and clarity around what is or is not prohibited,” Córdova wrote in her letter. “This is particularly true when those certifications come with the potential consequence of loss of federal funds. For those same reasons, I cannot and will not ask you to sign the April 3 certification.”
Removing DEI would create a significantly more homogeneous, unfair, and exclusive environment, setting an unjust precedent for minorities. Continuing to accept smaller legal actions that the Trump administration has made will lead to the acceptance of even more extreme actions. Colorado refusing to let the Trump administration’s budget threat get to them can allow other states to follow suit and show their state power.
But for now, Colorado has shown that it can stand up to the Trump administration and make an example of how much the state values its DEI practices. While we’re following in the footsteps of states like Wisconsin, who also refused to sign the order, we can be an example to the rest of the country.
Students across the state and the district, thanks to the Colorado Education Board and the CCSD, are breathing sighs of relief because their diversity policies aren’t being stripped away out of fear of the Trump administration. To the Colorado Education Department and the district, we thank you for standing up for us.
