Ohio’s legislators are fed up with all that diversity stuff. Students, not so much. Jan Resseger breaks it down. Reposted with permission.
Ohio Senate Bill 113, which is being debated in the Ohio Legislature, would prohibit programs or policies connected with what it’s proponents call “diversity, equity and inclusion” in all of Ohio’s K-12 public schools. Ohio House Bill 155, a companion bill to SB 113, has been introduced.
Senate Bill 113 is modeled after Senate Bill 1, which bans DEI in Ohio’s public colleges and universities. SB 1 was passed in March and signed by Governor Mike DeWine on March 28, despite massive opposition.
Katie Millard, of NBC4 in Columbus, describes SB 113: “Under SB 113, school districts would have 90 days to implement a policy banning any orientation, training, departments, or offices pertaining to DEI. Districts would also be barred from using DEI in any job descriptions or contracting with any consultants who may encourage admissions, hiring or promotions based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or gender expression. School districts would have to get rid of any existing DEI offices or programs, and districts would not be allowed to create any new ones… Finally, school districts would have to create a process where students, parents or employees can submit complaints about any possible violations of the new district policy.”
The Plain Dealer‘s Laura Hancock quotes the bill’s sponsor, Ohio State Senator Andy Brenner explaining what he believes is the purpose of the bill: “DEI does not stand for diversity, equity and inclusion… It stands for division, exclusion and indoctrination. It is unconstitutional, unfair and directly contradicts the vision of Martin Luther King Jr. And we must stand against these policies and ensure that our schools teach students to rise based on their abilities, not their racial identity.”
Millard clarifies that Brenner was referring to his own particular interpretation of Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech. Here is Brenner: “Dr. King dreamed of a society in which individuals are judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin… However, DEI-driven policies in K-12 education reject this fundamental principle by enforcing race-based preferences in curriculum, hiring and student discipline.”
Hancock quotes Ohio State Senator Catherine Ingram, correcting Brenner’s reading of Dr. King’s point and advocating for schools that support programming to increase equity: “(W)hat he said was he had a dream that one day, one day, not then and certainly not now, that we are equitable… Unfortunately for a very long time, certain groups of people started far behind the starting line.”
Senate Bill 113 is troubling to Ohio’s school superintendents, school board members and even students. On Monday of this week, The Statehouse News Bureau‘s Jo Ingles described her interview about SB 113 with officials and students from the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City Schools (CH-UH), which serves an economically, religiously, racially and ethnically diverse community in greater Cleveland. School Board President Malia Lewis critiques the vagueness of SB 113 in which the definition of abstract terms like diversity, equity, and inclusion is unclear: “At the board level, we read these laws and go ‘Well, what do they mean?’ and then the question is what did they intend, what do we intend, and how do you continue doing what matters most for students within the constraints of this legislation?”
In her interview with Ingles, CH-UH School Superintendent Liz Kirby describes the importance of programs to help teachers and staff support, include, and effectively educate the district’s students: “Liz Kirby… said her district has a combination of gifted students, students with disabilities and students who are English learners. She said it is important for students and teachers in her district to understand each other and communicate effectively. And to do that, she says some training, which might be considered DEI education is necessary. ‘If we can’t have any training or orientation around students who have unique needs based on those identifications, then we are without question, holding them back from high student achievement and high growth.’ ”
Ingles also interviewed students from Cleveland Heights High School. They clearly appreciate the issues in SB 113; none of them expresses fear or discomfort about the school’s diversity or the staff’s efforts to serve a diverse student population. “Cavan Bruce… said the district has a lot of supportive programs for students with mental, emotional, and physical challenges. ‘There’s just no way to define it and the nature of the bill itself is confusing and frankly, just seems to be a bunch of political buzz words being thrown around.’ Emmanuel Gutirrez… said he’s afraid some of his school’s most meaningful classes could be in jeopardy if this bill passes, including a class on the lessons of the Holocaust. Jesse Bowling is against the (SB 113) bill. As a biracial student, he says the bill is an attempt to oppress people like him. ‘It is trying to oppress people who are considered ‘different’ and it is unacceptable.’ Kennedi Brown… described this bill as ‘a big punch to the face,’ adding it will make it harder for different groups of students to understand and interact with each other. ‘It won’t allow students to have individuality. I feel like it is very dehumanizing.’ ”
So how do alumni from Cleveland Heights High School feel about the diversity in their schools? Cleveland Heights High School graduate and now retired Philadelphia Eagles football star, Jason Kelce credits the diversity at Cleveland Heights High School for helping him thrive in the NFL: “One of the beautiful things about football is that a locker room of the NFL is one of the most diverse places you’ll see. We have guys from all over the place. And I think that one of the things that prepared me for that was going to Cleveland Heights High School, because being around people who are different from you—or who have different viewpoints from yours—and being able to communicate and have relationships with all sorts of different individuals makes you more well-rounded and better able to communicate as an adult. I think that’s why my brother and I both have the emotional intelligence and the ability to connect not just as leaders on our given teams, but to connect with teammates from anywhere, and to connect with, in my case, the city of Philadelphia.”
Public schools are an institution where young people can have the opportunity to encounter the rich diversity of our country’s population. I only wish that the economic, racial and ethnic segregation that persists in many communities did not deny the kind of exposure to diversity that Jason Kelce and the students Ingles interviewed value as an important part of their K-12 education.
I sincerely hope that the Ohio Legislature will defeat Senate Bill 113.