State Superintendent Proposes New Rule To Cut Funding To Diversity Programs

Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters has released new plans to cut state funding to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs in schools.

Walters says money should focus on educational basics, but others argue these programs educate kids from different perspectives.

If passed, schools that receive state funding would not be allowed to offer DEI programs, positions, and activities based on preferring one race over another.

The proposed rules from OSDE have several parts- including not making students go to DEI training, not requiring them to disclose their pronouns, and not making them agree to any loyalty oath that promotes one race over another.

The rules would also give OSDE the right to review any programs schools do offer and either cut them or restructure them.

Walters said in a statement, “DEI programs should rightfully be called discrimination, exclusion, and indoctrination. We want our kids to know that they are each individually created by God and they can do great things, not that they are bundled into political groups based on some arbitrary characteristics that are favored or not by woke ideologues. Our goal is to make sure each student has the resources they need to achieve their own amazing goals.”

Danne Johnson speaks about DEI to people across the country and believes there are a lot of misconceptions about DEI and what it stands for.

She says the goal of DEI is not to say one race is better than another but to understand people have differences and figure out how to work through those.

"It's really about curiosity,” said Johnson. “Learning about other people. And then trying to work to make sure that my physical traits are not an impediment to my success. That they are not an impediment to a great contribution to my society."

She says it’s important to start DEI programs right when kids go to school, in order to teach kids to appreciate that everybody has a different background and different story.

"In education, we love to tell children, 'You can be anything you want to be,”’ said Johnson. “But children, when they look around, can see if that's true or not. And if they don't see themselves, they may disbelieve that statement."

OSDE says for these rules to take effect, they have to be approved by the State Board and then by lawmakers and the governor.