School board votes to refuse original federal DEI certification and to send superintendent a revised certification to sign

NORFOLK, Va. — The Norfolk School Board on April 24 voted first to reject the U.S. Department of Education’s form letter on diversity, equity and inclusion and then approved a second motion directing Superintendent Birdsong to sign a revised local certification limited to compliance with federal civil‑rights law as interpreted by state and federal courts.

The first motion, introduced by Board Member Keenan Inge, read in full from the dais: “I move that we reject President Trump’s executive order and that we direct the superintendent of Norfolk Public Schools to not sign it.” The motion was seconded on the record. The board adopted that motion in a roll‑call vote.

After the first vote, Board Member Mister Cloud (reading on behalf of board counsel) presented a proposed revision to the two‑sentence certification paragraph required by the U.S. Department of Education. The revised sentence added language that limits the district’s certification to “the below legal obligations and interpretations to the extent they comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Constitution of the United States as interpreted by the courts of the Commonwealth of Virginia and The United States.” The revised text was placed into the same format as the federal form and presented for signature.

Board Member Mister Cloud summarized the process and said the revised form would be executed by the superintendent before the federal deadline and then posted to BoardDocs and forwarded to the Virginia Department of Education for filing.

The second motion — to direct the superintendent to sign the board’s revised certification and return it to state officials — passed on a subsequent roll call. The board’s recorded proceedings show members debating the trade‑offs: some members said rejecting the federal text protected local priorities and inclusion programs; others said signing an altered version risked being found noncompliant and could jeopardize federal funding.

Why it matters: the Department of Education’s notice frames certification of certain legal obligations as a condition for continued receipt of federal funds. The board’s dual votes direct the superintendent to withhold signature on the federal form while sending a narrower, board‑approved statement of compliance that limits the district’s commitment to interpretations consistent with Title VI and applicable court decisions.

Board and public remarks: during public comment earlier in the meeting, multiple speakers — including Education Association of Norfolk representatives, teachers, parents and community advocates — urged the board to defend DEI programs and said cutting those programs would harm students. Several speakers explicitly asked the board not to sign any federal directive that could be used to dismantle local inclusion work.

Clerk’s note and next steps: the revised certification was to be signed by the superintendent and posted to the district website and BoardDocs; the Virginia Department of Education was to collect and file the local certifications before the federal filing deadline. The board did not adopt the Department of Education’s original two‑sentence certification form; instead it approved the locally revised wording and instructed staff to proceed with execution and documentation.

Ending: the board’s action leaves the district in a position of formally refusing the original federal certification and instead submitting a narrowed, board‑approved declaration that the district will comply with legal obligations only as those obligations align with Title VI and court precedent.

Votes at a glance: two separate recorded motions — (1) reject the federal form / do not sign (approved); (2) direct superintendent to sign the board’s revised certification (approved).