Education Department Puts DEI Employees on Paid Leave While Cutting Controversial Initiatives: What It Means for the Future of Education

The U.S. Department of Education is moving to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This decision came shortly after President Donald Trump’s recent order for federal agencies to eliminate such programs.

The Education Department announced that it has started removing mentions of DEI from its public materials. Many documents, training materials, and reports related to these initiatives have either been taken down or archived.

Furthermore, employees leading DEI initiatives are now on paid administrative leave. A recent memo from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management instructed federal agencies to do this by Wednesday night.

The Education Department emphasized that its review aims to stop discrimination based on race and harmful stereotypes in the education system.

The department has also shut down its “Diversity & Inclusion Council,” which was set up under former President Obama. Other councils related to DEI have been disbanded as well. DEI trainings and contracts related to these initiatives have also been canceled.

As part of this process, the Department of Education will review all its programs to find and eliminate any that promote a divisive DEI agenda. They are looking closely at public sites and communication for any DEI language.

In his recent order, Trump claimed that the Biden administration had enforced “illegal and immoral” DEI programs, labeling them as a misuse of taxpayer money. He stated that this practice would come to an end.

Nicole Neily, from Parents Defending Education, said the announcement is a significant victory for parents and students. She criticized how federal officials prioritized identity politics over student success, which, according to her, harmed children across the country.

Other federal agencies are also making changes related to DEI. NASA announced it is closing its DEI office after determining that these programs divided citizens, wasted resources, and led to discrimination. Similarly, the FBI confirmed it had already shut down its DEI office in December, before Trump took office.