NC leaders working to ban DEI in all K-12 public schools

Senate leaders have presented a new bill in the North Carolina General Assembly that would require all public K-12 schools in the state to remove discriminatory practices and divisive concepts, including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Senate Bill 227, titled “Eliminating ‘DEI’ in Public Education,” comes amid new Trump policies abandoning DEI efforts at the federal level. The legislative proposal aims to remove the promotion of discriminatory practices and divisive concepts from North Carolina’s public schools, ensuring schools remain free from divisive ideologies. The bill was filed by Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, along with Sens. Michael Lee, R-New Hanover, and Brad Overcash, R-Gaston.

“We cannot teach our nation’s history without acknowledging our past,” Berger said in a press release. “But we can teach history without forcing our educators and students to embrace and adopt ideologies inconsistent with equality.”

Senate leaders emphasized the need for an education centered on the core curriculum, clarifying that the focus does not stop schools from teaching history as long as the approach remains impartial.

RELEASE: Sen. Berger Files Bill Prohibiting ‘DEI’ in North Carolina’s K-12 Public Schools https://t.co/dhwvX7nxIz #ncga #ncpol

— Senator Berger Press Shop (@SenBergerPress) March 3, 2025

The legislation bars schools from having DEI offices, staff or similar entities. It also oulines 12 divisive concepts, such as the idea that one race or sex is inherently superior to another or that an individual’s moral character is determined by race or sex.

Robert Luebke, director of the Center for Effective Education at the John Locke Foundation, applauded the legislation and said that it will be a “powerful antidote to corrosive ideas like DEI,” which he argues wage war against fundamental American ideals.

“I strongly support SB 227, introduced yesterday by Sen. Berger,” said Luebke. “The bill affirms a fundamental principle of the US Constitution: that all men are equal and stand equal before the law.  SB 227 reaffirms those principles and roots concepts like DEI that promote ideas that some races are superior to others and that people should be judged by their race, sex or other factors.”

Sen. Overcash emphasized the importance of preparing students for future success, explaining that the legislation “sends a strong message to public school families that their schools will be committed to educational excellence and success.”

The legislation comes amid rising tensions in North Carolina’s largest school district over DEI policies. The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) has chosen not to dismantle its own Office of Equity Affairs, and recent board meetings have resulted in heated exchanges between supporters and critics. 

SEE ALSO: DEI tug-of-war in Wake County Schools stirs tensions among board, parents

The post NC leaders working to ban DEI in all K-12 public schools first appeared on Carolina Journal.