Somersworth Superintendent John Shea said his frustration with the attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in schools goes beyond any one policy.
It鈥檚 the barrage of federal and state efforts targeting DEI without saying what 鈥� and what doesn鈥檛 鈥� count as diversity, equity, and inclusion that he finds most troubling.
鈥淚t鈥檚 intended to knock everybody off balance, intended to create chaos,鈥� Shea said. 鈥淢y goodness, creating chaos in the public education system with kids? That's outrageous.鈥�
Somersworth 鈥� along with Dover, Hanover, Oyster River, Portsmouth, and Norwich, Vermont 鈥� is now part of a lawsuit brought by the ACLU and National Education Association to push back against some of those restrictions.
That case centers on a new federal 鈥渃ompliance鈥� form schools must sign by April 24 to show they are following anti-discrimination laws. As part of its on this requirement, the Trump administration has specifically warned that schools engaging in 鈥渋llegal DEI practices鈥� could be at risk of losing federal funding.
The New Hampshire Department of Education has set an earlier deadline for schools, giving them until April 17 to submit the compliance form. So far, , though the Portsmouth and Grantham school districts rescinded their forms.
The lawsuit challenging the compliance letter is the ACLU and teacher鈥檚 union organizations have filed against the Trump Administration, which has followed through on threats to eliminate federal funding. Friday, the administration over the state鈥檚 trans athlete policy.
Districts protest vague definitions
Jay Badams, superintendent for Hanover and Dresden schools, flagged the potential impact of the Trump administration on his district鈥檚 DEI efforts long before they joined the lawsuit. In a , Badams said the school district remained committed to the equity plan they adopted in 2022.
鈥淒espite these unknowns, SAU 70 continues to prioritize equity in our ongoing academic, student support, facilities, and governance improvement efforts in concert with our Strategic Plan,鈥� he wrote.
Badams reiterated the commitment in a statement issued Friday, after the district formally signed onto the lawsuit. He said 鈥渄iversity, equity, and inclusion are fundamental values that are embedded into the fabric of our curriculum, educational practices, and extra-curricular offerings by virtue of our mission and community-supported policy to promote equity in our schools.鈥�
鈥淭he U.S. Department of Education鈥檚 unclear ban on DEI undercuts our ability to adequately meet the needs of our students and overrides our communities鈥� decision to uphold these values in our public schools,鈥� Badams continued.
Christine Boston, assistant superintendent for the Dover School District, noted that educators鈥� code of ethics requires a commitment to 鈥渆quality, equity, and inclusion,鈥� for staff, students, and the school community.
鈥淭he (federal order prohibiting DEI initiatives) through its vaguely worded prohibitions, threatens the essence of what keeps our learning environment a place where all students and staff are welcomed and succeed,鈥� Boston said in a statement.
Shea, in Somersworth, said state and federal anti-DEI initiatives have felt like an attack on public education. He鈥檚 encouraging his staff to focus on the day-to-day education of students.
鈥淚t's not left versus right. It's right versus wrong,鈥� Shea said. 鈥淎nd it's about just putting education, you know, being outspoken about what is good for our kids and their education.鈥�
'They've come to be understood as buzzwords'
Even for those not directly involved in the lawsuit, the wave of anti-DEI policies has been challenging.
Arlynn Polletta, the chief equity officer for the Exeter Region Cooperative School, said DEI is misunderstood and mischaracterized. She pointed to a on DEI initiatives that was included as part of the House鈥檚 budget plan.
The language in that policy is especially broad in prohibiting interventions for any group of students, Polletta said, and she fears that could include special education services, free and reduced-priced lunch, and English language supports.
鈥淲e deeply value human differences and commonalities, and we believe that it really strengthens our schools, builds empathy for students, and fosters a deeper understanding,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd so, unfortunately, these words have come to mean something that they really don't in our schools. And they've come to be understood as buzzwords.鈥�
Bill Preble, the founder of School Climate and Learning in New Hampshire, has helped schools with initiatives aimed at making all students feel more included for nearly 30 years. He said the lack of clear definition in many prohibitions on DEI is making that work harder.
鈥淓verybody sees racism, everybody sees sexism and they don't know what to do with it,鈥� Preble said. 鈥淏ut you can see now that directly confronting issues of racism is a pretty tough thing to do these days with the DEI.鈥�
