Trump’s plan to reshape American schools heats up

President Donald Trump reveals his educational gaming book – and this promises to be an unprecedented battle with American schools.

Since his entry into office, Trump has been clear that he wants schools to align their political ideologies with his. A few days after its inauguration, he signed decrees to remove the “awake” ideology from classrooms and extend the use of good schoolchildren. These two orders ordered the Education Secretary to prepare advice but have not yet forced schools to comply.

But now, Dozens of surveys on kindergarten educational establishments in the 12th year and higher education make these orders more real, Trump declaring that targeted schools can either accept his requests or lose their funding.

On the kindergarten side to the 12th year, Trump’s administration sent letters to school districts which, according to them, violated title IX – a federal law which prohibits discrimination based on sex in education – through policies intended to welcome transgender students whom the administration describes as “obliging girls to school to share their locker room with a letter.

On the higher education side, dozens of schools have received letters from the administration accusing them of having violated the civil rights law through Dei initiatives, such as authorizing scholarships and network opportunities for minority students.

Funding is at stake in all areas, and although democratic and republican administrations have launched surveys on civil rights in the country’s schools, R. Shep Melnick, professor of American policy at Boston College, told Business Insider that Trump’s actions were on a larger scale.

“These types of gigantic threats are really new,” said Melnick. “We have no precedent for that, and I think it is far beyond anything in the words or the intention of a law,” he added.

The Ministry of Education did not immediately respond to a request for BI comments. Craig Train, acting assistant secretary of the Department for Civil Rights, wrote in a letter from “Dear colleague” of February 14, that kindergarten establishments in the 12th year and higher education institutions that incorporate DEI will be reported for “discriminatory practices” subject to potential investigations and funding gels.

“Institutions that do not comply with the federal civil rights law may, in accordance with the applicable law, face a potential loss of federal financing,” said the letter.

School sports vs federal financing

The Trump administration has so far launched dozens of school districts on Dei programming, transgender students and anti -Semitism.

One of the most drastic The escalations took shape in Maine. What started as a public dispute between the Governor of Maine and Trump on the State allowing transgender athletes to play in female school sports has become a major threat to the administration to cut all federal state funding for its schools.

Trump administration said that Maine does not respect the executive decree to restrict transgender sports students, it would freeze federal education in the Federal Education of the State funding. According to the Association of Directors of Maine, there are only two transgender athletes who participate in the sports of girls’ high school students this year.

A federal court has already prevented the Trump administration from reducing the funding for school lunch on transgender policies of Maine. On Wednesday, Trump Prosecutor General Pam Bondi announced a trial against Maine to bring the state to “stop what he does”.

Maine Governor Janet Mills promised to continue to fight the administration.

“This case has never concerned school sports or the protection of women and girls, as has been affirmed, it is the rights of states and the defense of the rule of law against a federal government determined to impose its will, instead of maintaining the law,” Mills said in a statement.

Other school districts have been subject to similar surveys. The Minnesota State High School League and California Interscholastic Federation have received letters from the Trump administration declaring that they would be surveyed to “allow male athletes to participate in female sports and use intimate female installations”.

Similarly, Oregon School Activities Association is the subject of an investigation into its policy which allows students to participate in sports or activities using their favorite gender identity while “offering a fair and safe environment to all students”.

What is the next step for American schools

Melnick said the two former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Bidre have frequently used surveys through the Ministry of Education to achieve their objectives. For example, the Biden administration opened more than 100 new surveys during its first weeks of racial and gender discrimination, and that was something that the Republicans criticized at the time.

“What is remarkable is that, despite all that the Republicans have criticized, they took these initiatives and exploded them,” said Melnick. “I think all of this is law without law.”

With regard to current surveys, Melnick said that it was not uncommon for an administration to carry out compliance exams, which guarantees that schools comply with civil rights laws. What is unusual here is the nature and extent of Trump surveys; Although criticism can drag for years, Trump’s administration acts quickly.

Higher education establishments have faced similar threats from the administration, with Trumps billions of dollars in federal funding in schools, including Harvard, for refusing to respond to the requests of the administration, one of which proceeded to a “audit” of students and teachers to determine their ideological opinions.

Forty-five other colleges, including Arizona State University, the University of Utah and the University of Rhode Island, The subject of an investigation of accusations they have violated the law on civil rights by associating with “The Ph.D Project”, which offers networking and career possibilities for trade students from under-represented environments.

“We encourage an open debate on campuses and various points of view, that’s what education is talking about,” said education secretary Linda McMahon. “But we are not going to have trampled civil rights.”

Melnick said he expects the investigations to continue, and the question is how schools choose to comply.

“My feeling is that the number of disputes will increase because I think the administration will lose many of these prosecution, and the more they lose, more other schools will be encouraged to fight rather than complying,” said Melnick.

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