President Trump is ordering US schools to stop teaching what he sees as “Critical theory of race” and another material that deals with race and sexuality or the risk of losing their federal money.
A separate plan announced on Wednesday requires aggressive action to combat anti -Semitism in university campuses, promising to process criminals and revoke visas for international students who are as “Hamas supporters.”
Both plans were described in Executive orders signed by Mr. Trump On Wednesday. The measures seek to meet some of the main promises of the campaign of the Republican President around education, although it is not clear how much power it has to promulgate the proposals.
His order in K-12 schools declares that federal money cannot be used in the “indoctrination” of children, including the “radical gender ideology and critical theory of race.” He says that civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination based on sex and race would be used to enforce the order, calling the critical theory of the race an “inherently racist policy.”
The examples cited in the order include a policy in the public schools of the city of Harrisonburg in Virginia that require teachers to use students’ names and pronouns of students. Another policy in Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin says that schools should “interrupt gender binary” teaching students to adopt different gender identities, according to the order.
The Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Education investigates the accusations of violations of civil rights and can impose sanctions on a total loss of federal money, although that fine has almost never been used and must be approved by a judge.
The order is an attempt to suppress teaching on race and racism, said Trey Walk, a researcher and defender of Human Rights Watch.
“Students have the right to learn about how discrimination can be rooted in law and society. If the United States denies young people this knowledge, it has few hopes to eradicate racism,” he said.
Trump also addresses the Secretary of Education to prepare a strategy within 90 days to “put an end to indoctrination in education K-12”. Trump has appointed the wrestling of wrestling of Linda Linda McMahon as his chief of education, but his Senate confirmation hearing has not been programmed.
During his campaign, Trump said he would sign an order “the first day” to reduce federal money for schools that drive the critical theory of race or other “inappropriate” content. The federal government provides billions of dollars to schools every year, although the vast majority of its money comes from state and local sources.
The measure takes advantage of a conservative anger that has pointed to the classroom lessons that some see as too liberal. A growing number of Republican states has adopted laws or rules that prohibit the teaching of critical theory of race or “divisive concepts” in public schools and universities.
The opponents say that the rules impose vague restrictions on teachers and create a chilling effect on discussions on history and other subjects.
The term “critical theory of the race” is sometimes used by conservatives as a capture for subjects who do not want to be taught in the classroom, although, in reality, it refers to a complex and legal academic framework focused on the idea that racism is embedded in the nation’s systems.
Trump’s plan to combat anti -Semitism “would gather all federal resources” and bring immediate measures of the Department of Justice to investigate and punish criminals in American campuses. Ask for the deportation of non -residents who “violate our laws”, citing prior threats from Mr. Trump to revoke students’ visas for international students who attended Pro-Palestinian protests.
Trump’s action promises “to protect the law and order, to quell pro-hamas vandalism and intimidation, and investigate and punish racism antijudío in schools and left anti-American universities.”
He drew a rapid review of civil rights groups that said that campus protests have been mostly peaceful and are protected by constitutional rights of freedom of expression.
Edward Ahmed Mitchell, national deputy director of the Council of American-Islamic Relations, said that the action is discriminatory and erroneously characterizes protesters as “pro-jihadist” or “pro-hamas”.
“These university students were Jews, Muslims, blacks, Palestinians and several other races that simply protested for what they saw as a genocide in Gaza,” Mitchell said. “They are not different from the students who protested against Vietnam or segregation or apartheid in South Africa.”
Tensions about him Israel-Hamas War Led to emotional manifestations on the US campus, including a wave of pro-palestine tent camps that led to about 3,200 arrests.
The Biden administration opened more than 100 investigations on alleged anti -Semitism and Islamophobia in schools and universities after Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 against Israel. A wave of schools reached agreements to resolve cases before Trump assumed the position amid fears that he would issue heavier sanctions.
On Wednesday, the White House also restored an order of Mr. Trump’s first mandate that established the 1776 commission to promote “patriotic education” in the United States schools.
Biden revoked the order and guidance of the Commission for the History of Teaching. The guide played the role of the United States in slavery and argued that the civil rights movement was in conflict with the “high ideals” proposed by the founding parents. It was widely criticized by historians, who said it was outdated and ignored decades of research.
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