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Residents clash over DEI and SEL: public commenters urge different interpretations of federal executive order
Summary
Two residents gave opposing views about whether social-emotional learning and DEI policies comply with a recent executive order and U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights guidance.
Public comment at the Feb. 25 meeting featured competing views on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and social-emotional learning (SEL).
Ronnie Lutz of East Nottingham Township told the board he provided documents — including a copy of the Feb. 14 executive order and an Office for Civil Rights letter — and said the district’s SEL curricula and other DEI practices were not in compliance. Lutz said he had filed a Right-to-Know request for curriculum materials and asked the board to take public steps to bring the district into compliance before the 2025–26 school year, warning that failure to act could lead to complaints and affect federal funding. (Lutz identified the executive order and an OCR letter in his materials; the transcript records his request that the email be read as correspondence.)
Maureen Kavanaugh, a West Nottingham Township resident and parent, urged the board to preserve programs that promote equal access and comply with civil-rights laws. Kavanaugh noted a federal court preliminary injunction in Baltimore that largely blocked the executive order and said the Constitution and federal civil-rights statutes remain controlling law for K–12 schools. She told the board local officials should continue work to ensure students’ access to education.
The board acknowledged both comments and placed the Lutz email in the meeting correspondence record. No formal policy change was proposed at the meeting; board members discussed placing the correspondence on the record and reviewing materials posted for the course-selection agenda item.
