Please use this letter to send to the principal of your child’s school, local superintendent, or school board urging them to affirm their commitment to ALL students and to ensure schools are safe and welcoming. You can find additional resources providing legal background at the bottom of this letter.
SUBJECT LINE: Support ALL of our students
Dear Principal/Superintendent/School Board Member,
I am the parent of a ____ grader at ______ school. I’m writing with deep concern for recent statements from the White House and executive orders that target inclusive learning and diversity and seek to scare schools away from providing the protection and support students need.
Schools in our community should be a welcoming place for all students, where every child can learn, grow, and thrive in pursuit of their full potential. Recent executive orders, although they cannot change any law, including civil rights laws, are scaring our families and communities. These executive actions do not require any changes to school or district policies or practices.
I am writing to make sure that the schools in our community continue to support ALL of our students, respect ALL of their rights, and continue to work in partnership between families and teachers. Whether we are Black, white, or brown, Native or newcomer, transgender, disabled, or not, we want our kids to have the freedom to be themselves and pursue their dreams. All children deserve to learn about our nation’s history, the contributions of all communities, and the unfinished work of building a more perfect union.
I am asking you, as an educator and a leader, to show the children and families in our community that you will support, protect, and respect them. I am asking that you publicly share our school district’s commitment to welcoming schools where ALL children are free to learn all that they – and our country – have the potential to be.
Sincerely,
While no one should feel like they need to have a law degree to contact their local principal and advocate for students, here are some resources that provide a legal background on the prohibitions on federal interference with curriculum:
- Prohibitions on Federal Interference with Curriculum Factsheet — this factsheet developed by The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights explains the statutory prohibitions on interfering with curriculum.
- What Schools and Students Need to Know About The U.S. Department of Education’s Anti-Opportunity “Dear Colleague Letter” — this factsheet developed by LDF responds to a “Dear Colleague” letter from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the Department of Education released on February 14. This factsheet sets the record straight about the claims set forth in OCR’s “Dear Colleague” letter, including what the Supreme Court’s decision on Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard/University of North Carolina (UNC) says and doesn’t say. For more information about the SFFA decision, see this report here.
- Letter, DEI Programs Are Lawful Under Federal Civil Rights Laws and Supreme Court Precedent — this letter from an assortment of law professors explains why common DEI initiatives remain legally defensible notwithstanding President Trump’s January 21, 2025 Executive Order titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” and related agency communications like the Department of Education’s February 14 Dear Colleague Letter.
- Judge Halts Implementation of Trump Anti-DEIA Executive Orders Nationwide in Suit Filed by Higher Education Officials, Restaurant Workers, City of Baltimore — this press statement from Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC describes the preliminary injunction issued by a U.S. District Court on President Trump’s executive orders titled, “Ending Radical Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” and “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” (collectively the “Anti-DEIA Executive Orders”). This ruling underscores that ensuring equity, diversity, and inclusion are the very goals of federal anti-discrimination law, not a violation of the law.
- What Educators Should Know About LGBTQ+ Rights This site from National Education Association (NEA) describes the rights of educators and students on LGBTQ+ issues and federal law prohibits discrimination and harassment of transgender, nonbinary and intersex students. It emphasizes that educators should not be intimidated by the Executive Order from treating all students with dignity and respect, and fostering safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning environments for all students.