Christian Indoctrination in Schools? Yeah, We Have a Form for That

“The U.S. Department of Education is committed to ensuring all students have access to meaningful learning free of divisive ideologies and indoctrination. This submission form is an outlet for students, parents, teachers, and the broader community to report illegal discriminatory practices at institutions of learning. The Department of Education will utilize community submissions to identify potential areas for investigation.”

That’s a goal humanists can get on board with, but unfortunately Secretary McMahon has a different kind of “ideologies and indoctrination” in mind;: the language above is the heading of a new informant portal launched by leadership at Trump’s Department of Education called “EndDEI.ed.gov.”

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility make schools better for students of color, LGBTQ students, disabled students, along with so many others. And evidence shows that supportive and inclusive learning environments lead to better outcomes for all students, regardless of whether or not they directly benefit. (Ironically–or not–this author is loath to cite the study, because it’s a federal program currently under attack by the administration and doing so could bring additional ire.)

So, instead of snitching on educators who do their actual jobs to support students through a wide variety of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, let’s give the administration what they’re explicitly asking for: verifiable reports of education agencies deploying divisive ideology that’s discriminatory and harmful–like putting bibles in schools. Louisiana and Oklahoma are trying to enact policies that force public schools to display the ten commandments or teach the bible. Isn’t that indoctrination that the Department should be worried about?

Humanists, help us flood the administration’s form with a unified message that turns their own language against them. Let’s highlight the divisive ideologies Louisiana and Oklahoma are trying to force upon students.

We’ve done the heavy lifting and written a template for humanists to copy and paste into the portal–we’re looking to submit one unified message from as many humanists as possible. Everything you need is at the bottom of a new page on our website.

It’s important to note that this portal is not a useful way to submit complaints of discrimination in the hope of support or a local change. (The Office of Civil Rights maintains a separate system for complaints.) The portal is also not safe for individuals to share information about themselves, their families, or their communities that could make them a target; privacy should not be assumed. Lastly, the portal is not a good venue for sharing examples of schools proactively working to protect students and provide inclusive education.

Ready to help? Report Christian Indoctrination Now.