Students at the Department of Defense School have raised multiple strikes in recent months to protest the agency’s decision to draw books that are not in line with President Donald Trump’s executive orders on race and gender. Currently, 12 students from six families are suing the department to stand by books, curriculum and cultural awareness events that contradict the president’s goal of excising “gender ideology” and diversity, equity and inclusion from public life.
The ACLU, which represents students and their families, submitted it on Tuesday Litigation against Department of Defense Educational Activities (Dodare) In the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, he argues that the Pentagon’s actions violate the initial right to amend students, particularly those who obtain information about “their own identity and history.” The 12 students whose families are parties to the lawsuit are old from pre-Kichi to high school until attending Dodaes School in Kunchontico, Virginia. Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Aviano from Italy. Misawa, Japan.
“When I saw three executive orders coming out, One thing about gender ideologyone K-12 School Emerson Sykes, senior staff lawyer for ACLU, Privacy and Technology Project, spoke to No. 19. Black History Month has been cancelled. Certain chapters were drawn from the curriculum and certain modules were withdrawn. The health course has been cancelled. ”
An estimated 67,000 children from active duty veterans and civilian families attend 161 Dodea schools around the world. Traditional school districts are not in a hurry to comply with the president’s executive orders because they manage their curriculum locally, but Dodea is lined up because they are part of a federal agency, Sykes said. Representatives have refused to ban books and curriculums, informing 19th and other news outlets that these materials have been temporarily reserved and that staff can determine whether they are complying with recent executive orders from the White House and guidance from the Department of Defense.
Two Dodea spokespersons said on the 19th they could not comment on the aggressive lawsuit. However, Michael O’Day, the Americas Region’s Director of Communications, said in an email that the agency “is unwavering in its commitment to providing an extraordinary educational experience for all students.” He said Dodea’s curriculum “earned the distinction of being a top-ranked school system for the fourth consecutive year, based on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a national report card. These standards promote excellence, critical thinking, and learning environments in academic disciplines with all militarily connected students.”
The plaintiff paints another picture of Dodea. They say they couldn’t access the book they’re reviewing, and the agency says they haven’t revealed which texts are being targeted. Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges that Dodea dissuades students from protesting censorship in schools and disciplining student protesters to “a calm effect on the student’s ability to engage in constitutionally protected speeches in the form of protest.”
Plaintiff Natalie Torrey, on behalf of three children at Dodea’s school, said in a statement that authorities should not impose changes to the curriculum without legitimate procedures. Implementing restrictions without parental opinions “violates the children’s right to access information that prevents them from learning about their history, bodies and identity,” she said. “I have three daughters. They, like all of my children, deserve access to books that reflect their life experiences and serve as a window into which they expose themselves to more diversity. The administration has created that redundancy at Dodea’s school.”
The lawsuit claims that award-winning children’s books are among those selected, so Dodea pulled the book without considering the caliber of the text or the appropriateness of its grade level. A list of pulled books listed in the complaint was culled from leaked notes, emails and news reports circulated within the Dodea school community. Similarly, the ACLU claims that the institution systematically removed race and gender references from school library and classroom lessons.
“The government has broad discretion to register with public school libraries and develop curricula, but the First Amendment imposes guardrails, ensuring that removal The complaint states, “We cannot suppress educationally valuable books and materials about gender in public schools, simply because the new presidential administration has discovered that certain perspectives on these topics are politically wrong.”
Since Trump took office on January 20th, he has issued an executive order directing the Department of Defense to abolish references to “splitting concepts” related to race, gender and federal agencies, eliminating statements and policies that promote indications to “gender ideology,” transgender or non-binary identities in general. The White House has also issued an executive order indicating that the government will withdraw federal funds from K-12 schools that support “gender ideology” or “discriminatory equity ideology.”
The lawsuit, which appoints Dodea’s director, Beth Siavino Narvez, and the accused Secretary of Defense, argues that preventing students from preventing lessons on books and important social issues is harmful to them. Reading the limitations can undermine critical thinking skills and learning about different communities. The complaint alleges that political “animus” influenced Dodea’s decision to “quarantine” books at schools.
When Trump addressed a joint session of Congress on March 4, he made clear about his mission, the complaint alleges.
“[W]E is out of our school and our army, it’s already out, it’s out of our society, we don’t want it,” he said. That was gone. And we felt so good about it, right? ”
In addition to Trump’s executive order, Hegses sent a note saying, “The elements within the DOD do not provide guidance on key race theory (CRT), DEI, or gender ideology as part of the curriculum or for the purposes of workforce training.” This includes Dodea who has advanced to take measures such as drawing books for review.
The parents of the plaintiffs of Aviano, Italy, said Dodea refused to provide a list of books under review, but was later notified that access to the items would be restricted to staff. The lack of communication around targeted books deprives children of their transparency about education and their ability to compensate for them in their home lessons, as they don’t know which books are placed aside, the complaint says.
The lawsuit argues that school librarians at Doder High School in Germany are trained online and directed to narrow down books that imply “gender ideology” or “gender identity.” Even Dodea’s school yearbook is being scrutinized for reference to “gender ideology,” the complaint says.
Dodea’s family was emailed that staff would no longer be teaching a section of the AP Psychology course on “gender and gender.” The agency also removed sexuality content from middle school health classes, including chapters on sexually transmitted diseases, abuse and neglect, sexual harassment, human reproductive and menstrual cycles.
“To comply with EOS, Dodea students have not learned about health, hygiene, biology or abuse,” the lawsuit states. “These changes are causing irreparable harm to Dodea students.”
Curriculum restrictions implemented by Dodea aim to celebrate race and culture, and on January 31, the Department of Defense issued guidance that Identity Month “dead” at agency. According to guidance, resources from agents may no longer be used to host Black History Month, Women’s History Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and more. The lawsuit alleges that in order to comply with the guidance, Dodea staff chief Taylor York sent a letter on February 24th with the following written:[s]Chools must cancel all planned special activities and non-instruction events related to previous monthly Cultural Awareness Month compliance. ”
The month of identity ban in Dodea prompted the removal of message boards and library displays on black people, claiming that the plaintiffs were denied the opportunity to learn about the school’s black leaders and history watchers.
“I’ve heard that the MLK quote has been removed and the rainbow has been pulled down [for LGBTQ+ Pride]Sykes said.
Supreme Court lawsuit in 1988; Hazelwood School Districtv. Kuhlmeieradministers the withdrawal of curriculum materials from schools, but such removals must have legitimate educational concerns, Sykes said.
“We know that, as the Supreme Court famously said, students do not lose their constitutional rights at the gates of the school building, but there are restrictions on constitutional rights from kindergarten to high school, which is why the courts recognize this and are generally excluded towards the school,” Sykes said. “But we argue that in these circumstances, even that bias test has failed because the removal that is happening is not due to legitimate educational concerns.
The ACLU filed a lawsuit on the same day as civil rights groups, the Legal Defense Fund and Lambda Regal. I sent a letter Hegseth and U.S. Naval Academy Principal Yvette M. Davids oppose the Academy’s decision to remove 381 books discussing race, gender and sexuality from the Nimitz Library. They argue that cadets have a right to receive information and should not censor the material because they disagree with the ideas expressed by the president.
Here are some of the books that the ACLU lawsuit argues Dodea is targeting:
- “Hillbilly Elegy: Memoirs of Family and Culture in the Crisis“Memoirs of Appalachian White American Struggles, Vice President J.D. Vance.
- “Freckleface Strawberry,” an Oscar-winning actress and Department of Defense alum Julianne Moore, a picture book about a child who learns to love her unique physical traits and her fellow traits. This book was a New York Times bestseller.
- “Both sides,” a novel about a transgender teen who competes in a national debate contest by Payton Thomas. The book won the 2022 International Literacy Association Young Adult Fiction Award.
- “Not Truth Without Ruth: The Life of Ruth Bader Ginsberg,” a picture book about the life of the late Supreme Court judge by Kathleen Krull, winner of the 2011 Children’s Book Guild Non-Fiction Award.
- A book about the trial of a black man accused of sexual assault by Harper Lee, “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The book won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize.
- “Fahrenheit 451,” a paper by Ray Bradbury on the burning and censorship of books. This book has won many awards.
- “Kitrunner,” a novel by Khaled Hosseini, documenting Afghanistan under Soviet and Taliban rule.
- “The Well-Readed Black Girls: Find Our Story, Discover Ours,” and a book of essays by Black women on how the literature of the glorious mares influenced their lives.
- “Julian is a Mermaid,” a picture book by Jessica Love about the boys, his mermaid costumes and parades. The book won the 2019 Stonewall Book Award.
- “The Children of Antiracism: A Book on Identity, Justice and Activism” by Tiffany Jewel.
- “The Strange History of the United States,” a book by Michael Bronsky about LGBTQ+ people in American society. The book won the 2012 Stonewall Book Award and the 2012 Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Non-Fiction.
- “AP Psychology Premium” is a prep book for the AP Psychology Examination.
