All of Iowa’s public school districts and charter schools have signed a letter stating that they are complying with federal policies on diversity, equity and inclusion.
The letter is part of a nationwide push by the Trump administration to remove what it calls “illegal DEI practices.”
If a state doesn’t agree, school districts may lose their federal funding.
For Des Moines Public Schools, $70 million is at risk. The school board held a special meeting this week to strike out references to Black and Latinx students in the board’s goals for student performance.
Seventeen other states are challenging the DEI letter in federal court. Compliance includes schools confirming they are not using diversity, equity and inclusion programs “to advantage one’s race over another.”
In Nebraska, Department of Education Commissioner Brian Maher asked districts to also sign the certification by midday Thursday.
Maher told Nebraska Public Media News that the state is watching to see how changes in the federal education department could impact programs for students with disabilities, low-income students and career and technical education.
*There was more Diversity, Equity and Inclusion news from the Iowa Board of Regents meeting on Thursday. Public university students spoke about their frustration over the Board’s stance on DEI, during the public comment section of the meeting.
They were particularly critical about the Regents’ policy of dismantling of DEI websites and the elimination of DEI offices and positions at the universities.
The Trump administration is demanding that universities eliminate DEI programs, but students want the Regents to take a stand against the administration. Darrell Washington is a student at the University of Iowa.
“It is an erasure. It is a choice to scrub our histories, our identities, our truths out of the curriculum, out of existence. It’s a choice to ignore us, to pretend we were never here. But we are here. We are not a footnote. We are the story,” Washington said.
Other students said the Board of Regents is the only thing between unchecked federal regulation and their universities.
*In other news, a new report has found air quality has worsened in Iowa.
The American Lung Association’s annual State of the Air report looks at ozone and particle pollution.
It found air pollution worsened in general across the Midwest, including in Iowa. Des Moines no longer ranks as one of the cleanest cities in the country.
Kristina Hamilton is with the American Lung Association. She says the changes are partly due to wildfires and the effects of global warming. Additionally, coal is still used in certain parts of Iowa.
“Even though Iowa is a leader in some ways, in clean energy, we're still seeing the harmful effects of coal, contributing to the air pollution problem,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton says she encourages Iowa leaders to find more ways to transition away from the use of coal to improve air quality.
*Less than a year after opening, WarHorse Casino in Omaha celebrated a new expansion on Tuesday.
The addition adds 400 slot machines, two new dining options and a skywalk that connects the parking structure to the casino. It also added 130 jobs to the casino that already had employed about 350 people, said Lance Morgan, CEO of Warhorse Gaming.
The Omaha casino opened last August and is a joint effort by the Winnebago tribe of Nebraska's economic development arm, Ho-Chunk Inc., and the Nebraska Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association.
