The Bay State will play by its own rules when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion in education, a defiant governor and AG stated.
A letter from the Trump Administration sent earlier this month to the heads of education in every state and instructing them to do away with DEI policies can be ignored by institutions operating in Massachusetts, according to the Gov. Maura Healey and the Attorney General Andrea Campbell.
Both issued joint guidance to the state’s K-12 schools and colleges, informing them that — despite instructions to the contrary from the Department of Education’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Craig Trainor — diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are still legal policy in the Bay State.
“Attorney General Campbell and I are issuing this guidance to send a clear message that Massachusetts is going to stay true to who we are. We believe that bringing people of different backgrounds and perspectives to the table – including women, People of Color and the LGBTQ+ community – is a strength, especially in education. We are committed to working closely with our incredible schools, colleges and universities to support all of our students,” Healey said.
Healey and Campbell’s guidance comes after Trainor, in a “Dear Colleague” letter issued to the state’s Executive Office of Education and equivalent offices found throughout the country, informed state education leaders that the Trump Administration would, going forward, interpret the law such that any consideration of race is school policy is illegal and must be stopped by the end of the month.
“The law is clear: treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent. All students are entitled to a school environment free from discrimination. The Department is committed to ensuring those principles are a reality,” Trainor’s letter read, in part.
According to Campbell, neither a “Dear Colleague” letter from the Department of Education or an Executive Order issued by the president, on their own, are sufficient to trump longstanding state laws and policy.
“Despite the Trump Administration’s continued attempts to create confusion and anxiety, the law has not changed, and schools must continue their work to make sure that every student, regardless of background, can access educational opportunities in the Commonwealth,” Campbell said in a statement.
The joint instructions, according to the Governor’s Office, indicate schools should continue with any DEI policy they have already established and include “steps that K-12 schools can take to set their students up for success.” Schools are instructed to continue taking “affirmative steps, within the law” to make schools feel safe and welcoming for all students.
Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler said the governor’s instructions will stand in the way of the Trump Administration’s attempts “to take us back decades, exacerbating real inequities that still exist today.”
“Today’s joint guidance reaffirms that Massachusetts will continue to acknowledge and address historical and persistent gaps in student access and achievement, including Black and Brown students, students with disabilities, low-income students, LGBTQ+ students and other marginalized student populations. We remain committed to supporting schools and higher education institutions, within the law, to build more equitable education systems for all students,” Tutwiler said.
The joint guidance came along with more than a dozen statements of support from legislative leaders, teachers unions, and advocacy groups. Marty Meehan, the President of the University of Massachusetts, welcomed the governor’s guidance, noting that this isn’t the first time that the state school system has confronted a problem made at the federal level.
“At UMass, we remain committed to creating welcoming and supportive campus communities where all experiences, cultures, and perspectives are respected. We have faced similar challenges in the past, including when the Supreme Court overturned affirmative action in college admissions, and we were able to continue our forward progress in building inclusive, representative student bodies at our campuses. I remain confident in our ability to continue living up to our values as an institution,” Meehan said.
The Trump White House pushed back on the plan. According to Harrison Fields, a Special Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy Press Secretary, the discriminatory policies offered by the governor and the attorney general, which the Administration is trying to prohibit, are themselves responsible for the inequity the purport to oppose.
“The Left’s divisive focus on DEI policies undermines decades of progress toward true equality. The Trump administration rejects this backward thinking and will pursue an agenda that lifts everyone up with the chance to achieve the American Dream. Every man and woman in this great country should have the opportunity to go as far as their hard work, individual initiative, and competence can take them. In America, grit, excellence, and perseverance are our strengths,” Fields told the Herald.