Staff Reports
The New York State Education Department has decided it does not need to listen to the instructions from the Trump administration regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices and will continue to bask in the glow of what many view as political impossibility. In a recent letter, NYSED’s counsel and deputy commissioner Daniel Morton-Bentley indicated that the department is more than willing to ignore federal guidelines, arguing that there are no laws on the books prohibiting their cherished DEI principles. Talk about an audacious move.
The Trump administration had issued a call to action, attempting to cut schools, particularly K-12 institutions, some slack by giving them ten days to certify that they would end DEI practices. In a world where the tyranny of bureaucracy reigns supreme, one could almost imagine the NYSED recoiling in horror at the thought of yielding to such sane and reasonable requests. Instead, they have chosen to stubbornly stand by their DEI initiatives, proving that the bureaucratic knitting circle is alive and well in New York.
In this letter, Morton-Bentley engaged in some seriously convoluted legal gymnastics, claiming NYSED complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This must be a familiar tune they’ve been singing for years. They use the Every Student Succeeds Act Plan to bolster their argument, which sounds an awful lot like bureaucratic double talk for “we’ll do what we want!” Meanwhile, one can only wonder how much money is being sunk into DEI programs that many believe only serve as a distraction from actual education.
80 to 90 percent of America knows that DEI is just another way of forcing mediocrity into American education & our labor force.
Who wants to be operated on by a DEI surgeon?
Not me!https://t.co/ly98XCZXpx
— Daniel F. Baranowski (@DFBHarvard) April 7, 2025
In the world of education funding, the NYSED also seems blissfully ignorant of how the money flows. With the federal government providing a mere 10% of K-12 funding, and New York schools primarily funded by local taxes and state dollars, it’s hard to understand why the NYSED would decide to step into a stalemate over federal criteria. Maybe they’re banking on the belief that local and state funds will keep the lights on while the education system becomes a vibrant patchwork of DEI theories—assuming anyone is actually learning anything.
Adding to the circus, reports have emerged of the Department of Education launching a portal for submitting complaints about sex and race-based discrimination in schools, cleverly dubbed the “End DEI” portal. The fact that students, teachers, and parents can whistleblow on the very practices NYSED is so adamant about preserving suggests that maybe the “Censorship Police” at the federal level might just be onto something. Yet, it appears the NYSED is determined to barrel ahead, convinced that its ideological crusade trumps the fetters of legal frameworks, all while the Trump administration’s executive order to eliminate DEI programs from the federal workforce looms in the background like a thundercloud over a picnic.
In an environment where education should be focused on teaching literacy, numeracy, and critical thinking rather than navigating the murky waters of bureaucracy, one thing is for sure: the NYSED seems to have a master’s degree in defiance and an impressive commitment to pushing an agenda that leaves concerned parents scratching their heads in disbelief. The bureaucratic antics in New York are a potent reminder of how far educational institutions can stray from their primary mission when entangled in the politics of identity.
