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Urbandale district to revise documents after federal DEI guidance; board approves changes
Summary
The Urbandale Comm School District superintendent told the board the U.S. Department of Education sent a Dear Colleague letter about DEI and Title VI compliance; the board voted to revise district documents and a job title to align with legal guidance.
The Urbandale Comm School District board voted to revise district documents and related job descriptions after the superintendent described recent U.S. Department of Education guidance about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and Title VI compliance.
Superintendent Dr. Dowska told the board that the Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague letter (sent Feb. 14, per the superintendent) and that the guidance is intended to clarify how Title VI and the Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard affect use of race by state actors. "We do intend to comply with the law," Dr. Dowska said, adding the district will work with legal counsel as additional guidance from the Department of Education becomes available.
The superintendent said the district is reviewing programs, policies and positions and making targeted edits recommended by legal counsel rather than broad, immediate removals. "We want all of our staff and students and community to know our mission doesn't change to teach all, reach all," she said, and that the district remains committed to anti-discrimination of all kinds.
As an immediate, specific change the board approved edits to a job description: the position now proposed to be titled "director of student services" (the change was described in the packet as edits recommended by legal counsel). At the meeting the board then voted on a motion "to change the district documents to align with new federal and state laws." The motion was moved and seconded and the board approved the change.
Board members and district staff discussed the practical stakes if federal oversight or funding responsibilities shift, including uncertainty about Title I–IV and special-education funding. The superintendent acknowledged that federal funding streams "could" be affected and said the district will track guidance and return with additional detail if the board requests it.
The district emphasized it will take a measured approach: legal counsel is reviewing specific language and staff will bring recommended edits to the board rather than making wholesale removals of terms in policy and materials.
The approved motion was procedural and limited to adopting the recommended edits; board members said the changes are intended to ensure legal compliance while preserving the district's mission. The board voted to approve the edits; the motion passed.
