Education Department staffers suspended over DEI training
Dozens of Education Department employees were notified Friday that they’d been put on paid administrative leave following President Trump’s executive order to root out diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the federal government. At least some of them received the notices because of their participation in a voluntary session on diversity training, NBC News reported, noting they were encouraged to do so by Trump’s first-term education secretary, Betsy DeVos.
Department staffers sent the memos they’d gotten to their American Federation of Government Employees local union, Politico reported over the weekend. The union subsequently said that attendees of a two-day 2019 training for the department’s “Diversity Change Agent Program” had received the notices.
The “change agents” who participated in the program were supposed to lead DEI training and education in the agency while working to attract and retain talent. The union said DeVos’s goal was to have 400 employees participate, though it’s unclear how many did.
The suspended staffers were told that the “administrative leave is not being done for any disciplinary purpose.” NBC News reported that the affected employees included “a public affairs specialist, civil rights attorneys, program manager analysts, loan regulators and employees working to ensure schools accommodate special needs children with individualized education programs.”
The notices arrived one week after the Education Department rolled out a press release touting its “Action to Eliminate DEI.” That action included putting employees in charge of DEI programs on paid leave and canceling more than $2.6 million in training and service contracts. The department characterized it as “the first step in reorienting the agency toward prioritizing meaningful learning ahead of divisive ideology in our schools.”
You may be interested

The next batch of emoji includes Bigfoot
new admin - Jul 17, 2025Today is World Emoji Day, and the Unicode Consortium is sharing a preview of some of the new emoji that…

Ex-Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to shut off plane’s engines mid-flight relives “most consequential three seconds of my life”
new admin - Jul 17, 2025An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot indicted for trying to shut off a passenger jet's engines mid-flight in 2023 recalled the…

Disneyland turns 70: Here’s a look at “The Happiest Place on Earth” then and now
new admin - Jul 17, 2025Disneyland is celebrating 70 years of being "The Happiest Place on Earth."The summerlong festivities in southern California include the opening…