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Fayette County superintendent says district declined to sign federal DEI waiver
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Liggins told the Equity Council Committee the district declined to sign a federal executive action on diversity, equity and inclusion and cited legal and policy reasons; she said Fayette County was one of two Kentucky districts that did not sign and that the district received positive feedback from families.
Superintendent Dr. Liggins told the Equity Council Committee on May 6 that Fayette County Public Schools declined to sign a presidential executive action related to diversity, equity and inclusion matters and said the decision was rooted in legal and policy considerations.
“We decided not to sign that,” Dr. Liggins said, describing the action as an executive order that sought waivers or reinterpretations related to "Title 6" and referencing an interpretation offered in litigation involving Harvard. She said the district, after consulting board members and on her own conviction, concluded there was no legal precedent requiring the district to sign and that the district annually affirms it will “abide by the law of the land.”
Dr. Liggins said Fayette County was “one of two school districts in Kentucky” that did not sign, the other being Jefferson County, and that the district had received mostly positive feedback from families and students as a result of the decision.
She told the committee the district works with national coalitions, including the Council of the Great City Schools, which provides legal and policy support to large urban districts and discusses these topics in ongoing meetings.
Committee members praised the decision during the meeting and said it sent a message to students. No formal action or vote on the matter occurred in the committee meeting; Dr. Liggins said she was reporting the board-level decision to the committee.
