Education Department staffers suspended over DEI training

February 4, 2025
2,210 Views

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.”



Source by [author_name]

You may be interested

Irish jockey Michael O’Sullivan, 24, dies after falling from horse
Sports
shares3,771 views
Sports
shares3,771 views

Irish jockey Michael O’Sullivan, 24, dies after falling from horse

new admin - Feb 16, 2025

[ad_1] Michael O’Sullivan, a jockey from Ireland who fell from his horse at Thurles Racecourse, has died more than a…

Face the Nation: Crenshaw, Shaheen, Raskin
Top Stories
shares3,463 views
Top Stories
shares3,463 views

Face the Nation: Crenshaw, Shaheen, Raskin

new admin - Feb 16, 2025

Face the Nation: Crenshaw, Shaheen, Raskin - CBS News Watch CBS News Missed the second half of the show? The…

Gold mine collapse in Mali kills 42, injures several others
World
shares3,359 views
World
shares3,359 views

Gold mine collapse in Mali kills 42, injures several others

new admin - Feb 16, 2025

BAMAKO, Mali — A gold mine collapsed in eastern Mali, killing dozens of people and injuring many more, according to…