Hartland board disbands DEI committee, directs superintendent to report on compliance with U.S. Education Department letter

Hartland Consolidated Schools Board of Education members voted Feb. 27 to disband the district’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) committee and require the superintendent to deliver a plan, before the board’s March 17 meeting, to bring the district into compliance with a U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Dear Colleague letter dated Feb. 14, 2025.

The decision came after more than two hours of public comment and a lengthy board debate about how to interpret federal guidance, the district’s existing agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice and where social-emotional learning and inclusive programs fit in the district’s curriculum.

Why it matters: Public speakers at the meeting — parents, former staff and community residents — presented sharply different views on the district’s DEI work and a recent elementary “diversity” assembly some commenters called a “diversity circus.” Several speakers warned the board that continuing certain DEI activities could risk federal funding or litigation; others urged the board to preserve inclusive programs such as Unified Athletics and school-based food supports.

Public comment highlights included Tiffany Baird saying the board’s actions were “nothing more than smoke and mirrors” and that dissolving one committee would allow staff-led DEI work to continue without board oversight; Connie Robinson recounted the district’s investigations and questioned continued partnerships with outside equity groups; and Gwen Bliss said she supported “the discontinuation of DEI” and described classroom practices she considered inappropriate. Christine Collins, who identified herself as the parent of a biracial son and a Hartland graduate, told the board: “My son matters. He’s biracial. He’s half black. He’s half white. He is loved not because he’s half black and he’s half white. He is loved because he is my son.”

Board debate and legal guidance: The original motion, offered by Trustee Cindy Shaw, would have temporarily paused the DEI committee, removed references to it from the district website and reserved the right to revisit the matter later. Superintendent Chuck Hughes told the board legal counsel had prepared the original language and that his office was in contact with DOJ counterparts; he said the DOJ was awaiting guidance from federal counterparts in Washington.

Several trustees pressed for clearer language. Trustee Jeff Scott moved an amendment to disband the DEI committee and subcommittee immediately and to require the superintendent to provide a plan before the March 17, 2025 board meeting “to bring Heartland Consolidated Schools into compliance with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Dear Colleague letter dated 02/14/2025.” The amendment passed on a roll-call vote and the board then approved the resolution as amended.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of agenda: Moved by Trustee Cindy Shaw; seconded by Mr. Campbell; roll call passed (Yes: Jeff Scott; Glenn Gogolevski; Trustee Keller; Cindy Shaw; Mr. Campbell; Board President [name not specified]).

- Amendment to minutes (strike superintendent note about opt-out): Mover Glenn Gogolevski; seconded by Jeff Scott; roll-call passed (Yes: Jeff Scott; Glenn Gogolevski; Trustee Keller; Mr. Campbell; Board President; No: Cindy Shaw); minutes subsequently approved as amended.

- Suspension of rules to allow an additional public speaker during call to the public: Moved by Jeff Scott; seconded by Glenn Gogolevski; roll-call passed (Yes: Scott; Gogolevski; Keller; Shaw; Campbell; Board President).

- Amendment and final resolution on DEI committee (main action): Amendment moved by Jeff Scott; seconded by Trustee Keller. Roll-call on amendment: Yes — Jeff Scott, Glenn Gogolevski, Trustee Keller, Cindy Shaw, Mr. Campbell, Board President (motion passes). Board then approved the amended resolution by the same recorded vote.

What the resolution requires: As amended, the board voted to disband the DEI committee and subcommittee immediately and directed Superintendent Chuck Hughes to provide the board, prior to the March 17, 2025 meeting, with a plan and list of items to bring the district into compliance with the Feb. 14, 2025 OCR Dear Colleague letter. Trustees discussed that some changes (policy or handbook revisions) would return to the board for action; other administrative items could be handled by staff, depending on the superintendent’s recommendations.

Materials and records cited at the meeting included the district’s extension agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, an internal curriculum newsletter (January 2022) that referenced CASEL and a program called Trails, outside groups named during public comment (Great Lakes Equity Center and the Midwest and Plains Equity Center), and the Feb. 14, 2025 Dear Colleague letter from the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights. Several speakers and trustees said those documents — and inconsistent use of the term “DEI” and its overlap with social-emotional learning (SEL) — contributed to community confusion.

Board next steps and timeline: The superintendent is to return to the board with the compliance plan and a list of curriculum, training, job description or handbook items identified for revision by March 17, 2025. Trustees indicated policy changes and handbook revisions would come back to the full board for formal action where required.

Context and background: Speakers described a range of district activities as DEI-related, including trainings that the district says were created or adapted locally, a recent elementary assembly that several parents criticized for using cultural costumes and flags, and ongoing restorative-justice or restorative-practices trainings referenced in the district’s DOJ extension agreement. Some speakers said outside consultants and materials (named during public comment) promoted viewpoints they consider inappropriate; others warned that removing references to inclusion could inadvertently affect special-education inclusion programs and food or wellness programs that aim to equalize student opportunity.

The board scheduled its next regular meeting for March 17, 2025.