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Horne Joins Trump’s Crusade Against DEI in Schools
[bit.ly/March2EdReport] View and share our Substack with 3 friends [bit.ly/April6EdReport] [bit.ly/March2EdReport] ! [bit.ly/March2EdReport]
¡Lea el Semanario en español! [[link removed]]
Trump’s DEI Crusade: This week, President Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from public schools [[link removed]] across America unless state education officials verified the elimination of all programs that it said unfairly promoted “DEI” (diversity, equity and inclusion) — an attack that Trump et al are deploying to stop teachers from teaching real history, and in particular the history of Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color. [[link removed]]
This is all part of Trump’s agenda to silence teachers and discredit and defund public schools.
😡 Supt. Horne Enters the Ring: AZ Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne joined in with a social media post directed to Trump’s Sec. of Education [[link removed]] , Linda McMahon: “Superintendent Tom Horne has signed this attestation that says Arizona will not have anything to do with race-based programs, diversity, equity, or inclusion programs, etc., and we'll be sending this form out to all schools to commit to these guidelines. Federal funds are at risk if a commitment is not made.” Ignoring racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of hate won’t make them go away — and removing programs to address them will make kids feel less safe and less welcome at school and will move our country backwards.
Title I Funding at Risk: In a memo sent to top public education officials across the country, Linda McMahon’s US Dept. of Education said that Title I funding (for schools with high percentages of low-income students) was at risk unless schools complied with this directive. The memo [[link removed]] included a certification letter that state and local school officials must sign and return within 10 days, even as Trump and McMahon have failed to define which programs would violate their interpretation of civil rights laws. [[link removed]]
At her confirmation hearing in February, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said schools should be allowed to celebrate the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But she was more circumspect when asked whether classes that focused on Black history ran afoul of Mr. Trump’s agenda and should be banned. “I’m not quite certain,” Ms. McMahon said, “and I’d like to look into it further.”
Anti-anti-racism is just racism: “However, schools must consider whether any school programming discourages members of all races from attending, either by excluding or discouraging students of a particular race or races, or by creating hostile environments based on race for students who do participate,” the Education Department said. It also noted that the Justice Department could sue for breach of contract if it found that federal funds were spent while violating civil rights laws.
JOIN US. Flood Congress with calls and emails NOW.
Contact your US Senators & Representatives to demand that they aggressively and forcefully protect the US Department of Education and the 50 MILLION+ students who rely on the protections and funding it provides.
📧 EMAIL: Use our one-click email tool: bit.ly/SaveUSEdDept [[link removed]]
☎️ CALL: Use this easy click-through calling tool: bit.ly/SaveDeptEd [[link removed]]
READ THE FULL WEEKLY EDUCATION REPORT HERE [bit.ly/April6EdReport]
LEA EL SEMANARIO EN ESPAÑOL [[link removed]]
K-12 Roundup
🏫🎒🧑‍🏫 All the news you need to know from this week in one quick read:
♂️♀️👮 Supt. Horne the Gender Cop: This week, Arizona’s anti-public school Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne wrote to Arizona public schools [[link removed]] , asking them to provide proof that they are following Linda McMahon’s new interpretation of federal privacy laws. McMahon and Horne are pushing a twisted version of FERPA, a federal statute that protects student privacy, to unwillingly out vulnerable students who may not feel safe sharing their gender identity at home. McMahon is threatening to withhold federal funding to schools that do not comply.
🧑‍🎓👮 Supt. Horne the Attendance Cop: Horne is also calling for the police to have a larger role in handling chronic absenteeism [[link removed]] . While student attendance is a serious issue, calling the cops is a counter-productive “solution.” According to Janice Palmer from the Helios Education Foundation, “Our research shows that the most effective way to improve student attendance is by building strong relationships with families and identifying and addressing the barriers that prevent students from attending school.” Police involvement can do the exact opposite — destroying relationships between schools and families and adding more barriers to school attendance.
What's Happening at the AZ Leg?
Here's our weekly rundown of the good, the bad and the ugly at the Arizona State Legislature:
😶‍🌫️ Fog of Secrecy: Lawmakers' attention will shift to floor votes that send bills to the governor for her signature or veto, as well as to their main job (and only constitutionally mandated responsibility): the negotiation and passage of a state budget. Nearly all of the work on a budget happens behind the scenes. Once state lawmakers and the governor reach an agreement, it is typically presented as a done deal, and sometimes gets voted on in the middle of the night. Staying in communication with lawmakers through this process is extremely important so they will know where the public stands and how their constituents expect them to vote. If you haven't reached out to your state senator [[link removed]] and representatives [[link removed]] yet, now's the time!
🏫 Prop 123 Update: This week, Senate Democrats unsuccessfully attempted to force a vote on a "clean renewal" of Prop 123 [[link removed]] , with no new conditions attached. Republicans want to restrict the funds to “eligible teachers” only, rather than the many and varied needs of public schools as the expiring version of Prop 123 allows. Hours before the vote attempt, Hobbs said she is close to a deal [[link removed]] with Republican lawmakers, and House Education Committee chair Matt Gress (R-4) echoed that sentiment, saying he expects a vote sometime this month.
💸 Billionaire giveaway update: Lawmakers held the billionaire tax handout bill HB2704 [[link removed]] from the Senate Appropriations Committee last week. Chair John Kavanagh (R-3) said the bill’s proponents asked that it be held [[link removed]] so they could negotiate amendments — but families affected by Republican inaction on Division of Developmental Disabilities funding say the bill was pulled when its backers learned of their plans to protest [[link removed]] the handout by showing up at the hearing.
Advocate Brandi Coon said [[link removed]] she thinks the fact the bill is still alive shows lawmakers’ priorities: “Legislators are more concerned about funding their friends and their donors versus funding the essential services that children and disabled adults need.” And in the words of one columnist [[link removed]] , trying to make the governor look bad is "small-minded, but it’s politics, and it doesn’t cross the line to being evil unless the most vulnerable citizens in the state are being used as pawns. Which is happening."
Since the bill has already passed through one Senate committee, it remains alive for the year and may be wrapped up in budget negotiations. Gov. Hobbs has said she plans to sign the giveaway into law [[link removed]] — so please voice your concerns!
✅ Stay in the know: The SOSAZ 2025 Bill Tracker [[link removed]] contains full information about all bills SOSAZ supports or opposes in 2025 and gives you up-to-the-minute information on where these bills stand.
📅 Rally to Stop Bills for Billionaire$: Save the date to protest a slew of bills that benefit the uber-rich across Arizona while gutting funding for schools, child care, health care, housing, roads and more! Tell them to invest in kids, health and safety!
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Email Gov. Hobbs & your lawmakers to urge them to do their constitutional duty and invest in Arizona’s public schools! Our easy-to-use, one-click email tool [[link removed]] is preloaded with SOSAZ’s legislative priorities, but we also encourage you to customize your email for maximum impact. [link removed] [[link removed]]
CLICK HERE TO SEND AN EMAIL NOW! [[link removed]]
Join Us!
Volunteers Needed! Ever wanted to help give one of the most impactful presentations in Arizona? Now you can be a volunteer presenter for the 2025 Education Roadshow! Join us at either of our upcoming virtual training dates, Saturday, April 12 at 2:00pm or Tuesday, April 22 at 6:30pm. We walk you through the information and the process for becoming a volunteer presenter to help make a difference in your community! [link removed] [[link removed]]
SIGN UP FOR A TRAINING HERE [[link removed]]
*Featured Regional Event* Join the East Valley Community Action Team for their upcoming Cheers & Chat Friday, April 11 from 4:30-6:00pm at Pedal Haus Biergarten in downtown Mesa! Get to know other public school supporters in our community including our incredible Coordinators, Lisa & Leda! Appetizers and non-alcoholic drinks on us! [link removed] [[link removed]]
REGISTER HERE [[link removed]]
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Contact Us
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