Trump signs executive order aiming to cut federal funding for ‘woke’ schools

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aiming to cut federal funding for some schools as part of his goal to rid America’s schools of perceived "wokeness" and "left-wing indoctrination."

He says he wants to end classroom lessons on gender identity and structural racism, to abolish diversity and inclusion offices, and wants to keep transgender athletes out of girls’ sports.

What's in the executive order:

The executive order is titled, "Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling."

The order aims to eliminate what it describes as "radical, anti-American ideologies" in K-12 education, which it claims undermine parental rights, promote racial division, and encourage gender identity discussions without parental consent.

"In recent years, however, parents have witnessed schools indoctrinate their children in radical, anti-American ideologies while deliberately blocking parental oversight," the order stated. " In many cases, innocent children are compelled to adopt identities as either victims or oppressors solely based on their skin color and other immutable characteristics."

"In other instances, young men and women are made to question whether they were born in the wrong body and whether to view their parents and their reality as enemies to be blamed," the order continued. "These practices not only erode critical thinking but also sow division, confusion, and distrust, which undermine the very foundations of personal identity and family unity."

File: Schoolchildren holding signs against the concept of critical race theory stand on stage alongside Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as he addresses the crowd before signing HB 7 during a press conference at Mater Academy Charter Middle/High School in H

What the executive order does:

The executive order targets federal funding for schools who do not comply with the president's goal. 

"My Administration will enforce the law to ensure that recipients of Federal funds providing K-12 education comply with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination in various contexts and protecting parental rights, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI)," Trump wrote in the order. 

What they're saying:

Trump has repeatedly said he will cut money to "any school pushing critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content on our children." On the campaign trail, Trump said he would "not give one penny" to schools with vaccine or mask requirements.

He said it would be done through executive action, though even some of his supporters said he lacks the authority to make such swift and sweeping changes.

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To get colleges to shutter diversity programs — which Trump says amount to discrimination — he said he would "advance a measure to have them fined up to the entire amount of their endowment."

The other side:

Trump’s opponents say his vision of America’s schools is warped by politics — that the type of liberal indoctrination he rails against is a fiction. They say his proposals will undermine public education and hurt the students who need schools’ services the most.

"It’s fear-based, non-factual information, and I would call it propaganda," said Wil Del Pilar, senior vice president for Education Trust, a research and advocacy organization. "There is no evidence that students are being taught to question their sexuality in schools. There is no evidence that our American education system is full of maniacs.

The president can’t immediately revoke money from large numbers of districts, but if he targets a few through civil rights inquiries, others are likely to fall in line, said Bob Eitel, president of the conservative Defense of Freedom Institute and an education official during Trump’s first term. That authority could be used to go after schools and colleges that have diversity and inclusion offices or those accused of antisemitism, Eitel said.

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Federal funding and schools

Why you should care:

America’s public K-12 schools get about 14% of their revenue from the federal government, mainly from programs targeting low-income students and special education. The vast majority of schools’ money comes from local taxes and state governments.

Colleges rely more heavily on federal money, especially the grants and loans the government gives students to pay for tuition.

What is critical race theory?

Dig deeper:

Critical race theory is a way of thinking about America’s history through the lens of racism. Scholars developed it during the 1970s and 1980s in response to what they viewed as a lack of racial progress following the civil rights legislation of the 1960s.

It centers on the idea that racism is systemic in the nation’s institutions and that they function to maintain the dominance of white people in society.

The architects of the theory argue that the United States was founded on the theft of land and labor and that federal law has preserved the unequal treatment of people on the basis of race. Proponents also believe race is culturally invented, not biological.

There is little to no evidence that critical race theory itself is being taught to K-12 public school students, though some ideas central to it, such as lingering consequences of slavery, have been.

Many Republicans view the concepts underlying critical race theory as an effort to rewrite American history and persuade white people that they are inherently racist and should feel guilty because of their advantages.

The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story also came from a combination of sources, including statements made by Donald Trump during his campaign and public appearances, commentary from his opponents, analysis from education experts, and explanations of critical race theory from academic discussions. This story was reported from Los Angeles. 

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