NORFOLK, Va. — In a 5-2 vote Wednesday night, the Norfolk School Board rejected Trump's executive order to ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
The Education Department directed school and state officials to sign a certification letter that confirms their compliance with Trump's executive order by April 24. The Trump administration has threatened to pull federal funding for school districts that do not sign the compliance letter.
The school board passed a resolution to direct the superintendent to not sign the compliance letter as is.
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Instead, in a 4-3 vote, the board decided to modify the letter's content, stating they will comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as current federal and Virginia law and future interpretations of the law.
During the meeting, when asked if this decision could be seen as non-compliance, Deputy City Attorney Jack Cloud, who introduced the motion, said, "I can't say how the Trump administration and the United States Department of Education will react."
The Department of Education previously announced it removed DEI mentions from documents and webpages, placed employees that led DEI initiatives on leave and dissolved its Diversity & Inclusion Council.
