The Real Cost of Equity Backlash in Schools Is Student Safety

With the arrival of the second Trump administration this January, a host of new dynamics and realities will emerge in education politics. The incoming president has made it known that he intends to defund and dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. While the likelihood that this will happen remains an open question, Trump's second term will invariably yield a renewed effort to stamp out what remains of work focused on making schools more equitable and inclusive–putting new wind in the sails of some of the most assertive advocates who have brought new contentiousness to school board meetings across the country. 

Just a few months ago, the Supreme Court declined to hear a case brought by activists against the Biden Justice Department’s moves to combat “a disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff.”  And while that case may have run its course, the issue is far from settled. “DEI” may have been the flashpoint for many of the most vitriolic attacks against school boards and leaders, but the antagonism right-wing activists feel toward public education runs far deeper than curriculum or school climate initiatives.

Indeed, if the past is precedent, we’ll likely see these issues reemerge as a rallying point for every manner of retrograde social forces. That backlash against efforts to make schools safer for all students is particularly alarming given the historical context. Whenever the United States has made progress toward inclusion, there’s been a counterreaction that seeks to undo it. We’re seeing that play out now in real-time, with some states banning specific training and curriculum, undercutting the very initiatives designed to make schools inclusive and supportive spaces.

At its core, this hostility toward inclusion reflects a more profound aversion to acknowledging the systemic forces—like racism and racial animosity—that have long harmed Black and Brown children and their communities.

These activists aren’t just pushing back on specific policies or curricula; they are resisting any effort to shine a light on the uncomfortable truths about how inequities persist and who benefits from maintaining the status quo–unequal and unjust as it might be.

By attacking initiatives that seek to create inclusive school environments and fairer ways of operating public institutions, they aim to obscure the role of systemic forces that create unequal outcomes. 

This obfuscation game diverts attention from the real, structural challenges that public education must address to ensure every child has a chance to thrive. Ironically, these measures are often framed as protecting students or communities, but they do the opposite. They ignore the real challenges faced by students of color and make schools less safe for them. There is an enormous—and dangerous—chasm between what makes some people comfortable and what keeps others safe.

Fifty years ago, Marcus Foster, a visionary Black superintendent, was assassinated for daring to advocate for inclusive, student-centered reforms. His legacy is a stark reminder of the risks education leaders face when they lead boldly—particularly leaders of color. The alarming increase in threats and violence against school superintendents and school boards in recent years shows just how polarized our society has become, underscoring the urgent need for dialogue and understanding across difference–the very foundation of work that seeks to make schools more inclusive. 

When schools step away from inclusivity, they’re not making anyone safer—they’re leaving communities of color more vulnerable while perpetuating the inequities that are baked into the fabric of these institutions, how they’re funded, and how they are administered. All students, including Black and Brown students, have a right to feel affirmed in their schools, to see themselves represented in the curriculum, and to experience a sense of belonging.

Schools are more than just places that children go to learn how to read, write, and reason; an education is broader than scoring a certain percentage on an exam. Education is about growth and development. School is where children build a sense of self and begin to understand their place in the broader world.

And most parents, regardless of their political affiliation, agree that they want their children to learn how to navigate a diverse world, develop positive identities, and be able to build bridges across differences.

We should listen to these parents, that rational majority, as we continue to hear from those who attempt to crowd out their voices.