JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Some Duval County Public Schools parents are asking the school board to reconsider getting rid of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
On May 28, board members met with the district compliance leader, Cami Sams, in a board workshop meeting.
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Sams submitted pages of the proposed, redacted policies, asking members to consider adopting the revisions.
1.22 Equity Policy (1) by ActionNewsJax on Scribd
Since an executive order by President Donald Trump in January, federally funded institutions are faced with reversing their DEI policies or risk losing federal dollars.
Parents who caught wind of the proposed policy reversals held a rally outside the school board.
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“We’re all diverse. Especially our children, they have different learning needs and they have different backgrounds. And I think we need to tend to those things. That’s all part of learning,” Clara Sowers said.
Sowers, a DCPS parent, was at the rally.
“My son right now attends a school, a public school, GRASP Academy, that exists because Duval County did the wonderful thing of addressing his diverse learning needs,” she said.
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She is worried that scrapping DEI policies will have the greatest impact on students like her son.
Parents and rallygoers said they planned to speak during the public comment period during Tuesday night’s school board meeting about the proposed policy changes.
DCPS told Action News Jax that the school board will meet sometime in July for a formal discussion, but they have not finalized an exact date for the meeting.
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