The Akron Board of Education has repealed its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives to comply with federal guidelines and ostensibly safeguard the tens of millions of dollars in federal tax dollars it receives annually.
Reports suggest that school board officials only eliminated the system’s DEI policies because of pressure from the federal government. Akron Public Schools said the system received roughly $73.3 million in federal funding in fiscal 2023 and $85.7 million in fiscal 2024.
According to Signal Akron, the board voted 3-2 in favor of motions to nix policies that might violate the federal mandate, including the district’s equity policy and its DEI working definition. Two board members abstained.
“I resent that we are being placed in a position to have to choose between such an important issue, because if we didn’t have inequities in the first place it would have never been a need to have these committees, these definitions, these policies,” Signal Akron quoted board member Diana Autry.
“I will wait patiently for a rich $85 million benefactor, so that I would be able to [vote] ‘no’ and not worry that our breakfast and lunch program is being threatened, that our special education services are being threatened, or our college access programming and so much more is being threatened by this [directive],” Ideastream quoted Autry as saying.
Some board members previously rewrote the district’s DEI policies, which proponents said was a middle ground that could comply with the updated federal guidelines. However, the Legal, Contracts and Board Policy Committee did not act on the revised version.
“We’ve heard nothing from you,” Signal Akron quoted board member Barbara Sykes as saying. “So all we’re asking you to say is to still have policies within the school district that say, ‘We all belong here, that we all deserve to succeed, that we all deserve the very best we can get.’ And not like it is not happening. You don’t have to say DEI.
“…Okay, let’s not use the word DEI, but let’s not discriminate against individuals either,” Ideastream quoted Sykes as saying. Our students still have rights. Our teachers still have rights. Our vendors still have the rights. And what this committee did was sit down and try to acknowledge that. As a matter of fact, we put those rights within that language. But no action has been taken on that.”
Akron Public Schools said it “initiated a strategic review” of its DEI “programs and policies” in February after the U.S. Department of Education sent a “Dear Colleague Letter” to educational institutions that receive federal funds.
“We are taking a measured and strategic approach to this situation,” Akron Public Schools Superintendent Michael Robinson said in a February release. “Our focus is to ensure that all our students receive a high-quality education in a compliant and inclusive environment, working thoughtfully and transparently while minimizing disruptions.”
In the letter, the feds informed education officials nationwide that they must stop using “race preferences and stereotypes” in admissions, compensation, hiring and elsewhere.
“For example, colleges, universities, and K-12 schools have routinely used race as a factor in admissions, financial aid, hiring, training, and other institutional programming,” Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor wrote in the letter. “In a shameful echo of a darker period in this country’s history, many American schools and universities even encourage segregation by race at graduation ceremonies and in dormitories and other facilities.
“The Department will vigorously enforce the law on equal terms as to all preschool, elementary, secondary, and postsecondary educational institutions, as well as state educational agencies, that receive financial assistance,” Trainor added. “The Department intends to take appropriate measures to assess compliance with the applicable statutes and regulations based on the understanding embodied in this letter.”
