The Litchfield Elementary School District has quietly removed its equity statement from its governing board homepage and board document website due to a change in its strategy, according to a response from the district.
Three Verrado-area elementary schools fall under the supervision of the district, which, in years past, was embroiled in a culture war due to the controversial equity statement.
Approved in December 2020, the statement summarized the district's commitment to advancing equitable treatment and outcomes for students of color.
Jeremy Hoenack, a former board member, was the main antagonist of the statement. He appeared on Fox News’ show Primetime with Mark Steyn, arguing the district had passed a socialist-leaning equity statement and training manual in secret.
“They secretly conspired to implement socialist indoctrination,” he said on the show. “The board passed an equity statement glossing over it being based on Ibram X. Kendi’s anti-racist definition. Next, the district secretly created a transformational equity procedure manual to promote critical race theory and curriculum, discipline, hiring, and training for all staff members and teachers.”
Hoenack later sued the district and lost in a First Amendment lawsuit he initiated and argued on without a lawyer.
The equity statement was eventually modified to exclude the Kendi piece. Despite multiple actions by the governing board to add it and codify it within the school's doctrine, it was recently quietly removed from websites without any formality.
Litchfield responded with the following statement about its current standing in the district.
“Per your public record request, we have provided the Governing Board's Equity Statement from 2021 that serves as a historical document,” it said. “The previous action by our Governing Board did not include any type of public display of the document and as part of our review and update of our website, it is no longer displayed because it is not connected to our current Strategic Plan, nor does it connect to any current policies or programs.”
Equity versus equality
Equity and equality are often mistaken for synonymous meanings. Equality implies that every student receives the same resources and opportunities, whereas equity recognizes students' inherent disadvantages or opportunities depending on a student's specific situation, according to academic websites.
Kyrene School District recently approved a statement that includes references to equity, according to the Arizona Department of Education.
The policy reportedly highlights "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" and outlines Kyrene’s commitment to "value, respect, and celebrate diversity in the workplace."
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said they're close to violating federal DEI guidance in a Friday warning statement.
"Kyrene and any district or charter that is not taking the federal DEI guidance will lose their federal dollars," he said. "The U.S. Department of Education has been abundantly clear with its most recent guidance against the use of DEI language in schools. Federal law and the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution are clear that no person shall be discriminated against because of race, skin color, or ethnicity, and this guidance aligns completely with my philosophy. By contrast, the use of DEI programs does just the opposite and promotes racial discrimination. Schools ignore the federal guidance at their own peril. This is not an empty threat, and districts and charter schools need to treat it seriously.”
President Donald Trump and his administration have vowed to eliminate federal funding for schools and states that refuse to follow its interpretation of civil rights laws.
Trump implicitly highlighted diversity, equity and inclusion programs as potential violations of these laws.
A copy of LESD's equity statement can be found here.
Michael McDaniel can be reached at [email protected]. We invite our readers to submit their civil comments or opinions on this or any issue. Email [email protected].
