ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Under President Donald Trump’s administration, Allentown School District Superintendent Carol Birks said she’s now afraid to use the “E-word”: equity.
“The new administration has been actively implementing policy changes, many of which have a direct impact on public education,” Birks said Thursday at Allentown School Board’s Policy Committee meeting.
The U.S. Department of Education on Feb. 14 sent a letter to educational institutions that get federal funding, issuing new guidance on how federal laws should be interpreted in regard to diversity, equity and inclusion, Birks said.
“This guidance requires school districts to reassess how certain policies, programs and communications align with these directives,” Birks said.
Dear Colleague Letter
The district was given 14 days to comply with the guidelines of the letter — which outlines the Trump administration’s interpretation of existing civil rights law — or risk losing federal funding.
The letter states it's illegal for students to be treated differently based on their race in order “to achieve nebulous goals such diversity, racial balancing, social justice or equity.”
The letter also claims “diversity, equity and inclusion” is a phrase used to justify covert discriminatory practices.
“DEI programs, for example, frequently preference certain racial groups and teach students that certain racial groups bear unique moral burdens that others do not,” the letter reads.
“DEI programs, for example, frequently preference certain racial groups and teach students that certain racial groups bear unique moral burdens that others do not."Dear Colleague Letter from U.S. Department of Education
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, equity means “fairness or justice in the way people are treated.”
Superintendent Birks has focused on educational equity since she began leading the district in 2023.
ASD’s new strategic plan, approved last year, lists equity among ASD’s core values, defining it as the celebration of “diversity” and “multilingualism,” as well as the promise of student “access to resources and opportunities.”
Birks said Thursday the district will comply with the Trump administration’s guidelines, but “will remain steadfast and continue to focus on our children.”
“In many ways, this moment is more about language than action,” Birks said. “The new federal orders focus on ensuring that policies and programs are framed in a way that shows that we’re including all students without prioritizing or targeting any specific group.
“This means the way we describe certain initiatives may evolve as an organization.”
Impact concerns students, staff
School Board President Andrene Brown-Nowell thanked the district administration at Thursday’s regular board meeting for putting students first as it navigates new legal requirements under the Trump administration.
“It has been challenging,” Brown-Nowell said. “Every day something different happens, but you guys have been adjusting, adapting, pivoting.”
“It has been challenging. Every day something different happens, but you guys have been adjusting, adapting, pivoting.”Andrene Brown-Nowell, Allentown School Board President
Still, Kimberly Arias, a senior at Building 21 High School, said students and staff are worried about how the new federal guidelines will affect their daily lives.
“We enjoy a curriculum that allows us to explore diverse history [and] cultures,” Arias said. “We are concerned if we would be able to continue with our current curriculum because of that.”
Arias, a student representative to the school board, said students are also worried about whether the district will continue celebrating “diverse role models” and if students will be able to “advocate for their own culture within their schools.”
Additionally, Arias said teachers are unsure if they will have to “conduct their classroom differently now.”
ASD works on responses, orders
After Thursday’s meetings, ASD’s solicitor Jeffrey Sultanik said the district is determining what compliance with the new federal guidelines looks like.
He said any changes would likely focus more on the language the district uses rather than its programs.
Birks also told LehighValleyNews.com the district is still committed to its strategic plan as it relates to providing students the individualized resources and opportunities they need.
Last month, Birks also made a public statementat a board meeting in response to the Trump administration.
At the time, the president had just issued a series of executive orders about immigration, and Birks promised both compliance with the law and a commitment to ASD families.
Since then, the district has been developing training for employees so they understand the procedures if there’s an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Birks and Sultanik said.
ICE officers won’t be allowed to remove someone from a school unless they have a federal warrant, ASD’s attorney added. District employees will be trained to identify the document.
