Advancement Project Reaction to School Discipline Executive Orders
April 23, 2025
Washington, DC – In response to the Trump Administration issuing executive orders related to school discipline policies and disparate impact discrimination, Advancement Project executive director Judith Browne Dianis issued this statement:
“These executive orders are another move to dismantle civil rights protections. The Trump Administration is moving with surgical-like precision to undermine the wins of the racial justice movement in this country. Rescinding school discipline resources along with deprioritizing the use of disparate impact to prove discrimination is a continued hacking at civil rights laws. In the end it is more nonsense than commonsense.
The Administration wants to rebuild the school to prison pipeline but civil rights law is clear: schools cannot punish students more harshly because of race, color, national origin, sex, or disability. The EO unlawfully seeks to impose a federal school discipline code over any objections parents and students may have and targets nonprofits and charitable organizations that fight to make sure that Black, Indigenous, and other historically marginalized students are not pushed out of school by unfair discipline.
The EO also rescinds a 2023 resource that summarized 14 resolutions of complaints filed with the Department of Education alleging discriminatory school discipline practices under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The resolutions covered in the resource–six of which were reached under the first Trump administration–are based on settled law under Title VI and provide a useful guide to school districts, families, and other stakeholders of practices that may violate students’ right to equal educational opportunities. Advocates still can, and should, continue to rely on the resource to push their schools to adopt policies and practices that provide equal educational opportunities to Black, Indigenous, or other students targeted by unfair discipline.
Suspending, expelling, or arresting students for breaking minor or subjective school rules does not teach students appropriate behavior or make schools safer. But it does rob children–too often Black and Indigenous children–of valuable learning time, tells them at an early age that they are not welcome in school, and fuels the school-to-prison pipeline. We call on local school district officials to disregard this latest lawless EO and continue to identify and eliminate discriminatory policies. With student and parent support, school districts can implement community-led restorative practices that keep students in the classroom and help create welcoming and inclusive learning environments. “
# # #
Advancement Project is a next-generation, multi-racial civil rights organization. Rooted in the great human rights struggles for equality and justice, we exist to fulfill America’s promise of a caring, inclusive and just democracy. We use innovative tools and strategies to strengthen social movements and achieve high impact policy change. We are a co-convener of the National Campaign for Police Free schools, a formation of 20+ youth-led grassroots organizations fighting to end the criminalization of youth in the classroom, create liberatory educational spaces, and implement an affirmative vision of safety and transformative justice. Visit www.advancementproject.org to learn more.
