Trump's executive order aims to restrict education related to race, gender, politics
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday that aims to find ways to cut federal funding to schools that teach certain topics related to race, sex, gender or politics.
The order calls for the incoming secretary of Education to "provide a strategy to the President" to end what he calls "indoctrination" in K-12 education within 90 days of the order being signed -- though it provides no details on how they will be instructed to do so.
Trump's pick for secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, has yet to be confirmed by the Senate. The order will also rely on actions from newly confirmed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who oversees schools run by the Department of Defense.
Federal funding makes up roughly 11% of K-12 public school funding, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Similar Republican-backed legislation has been implemented across the country, at the state level, placing restrictions on acceptable usage and lessons related to these categories.
Critics say these restrictions are "censorship" and that they will restrict educators' abilities to speak about certain historical, social or political concepts. These restrictions have led to lawsuits across the country over class cancellations, teacher firings, book restrictions and more.
The forthcoming order also directs the attorney general to work with state and local authorities to pursue actions against school officials and teachers who "sexually exploit minors" or allow social transitioning – though the fact sheet does not state what those actions are.
Social transitioning is when a transgender person begins "using a different name, using different pronouns, dressing differently, starts or stops wearing make-up and jewelry," along with other factors, according to LGBTQ+ advocacy group GLAAD.
Another order signed Wednesday seeks to fulfill Trump's campaign promise to expand school choice through Education Savings Accounts. It requires the secretaries of Education and Defense to evaluate how about how discretionary grant programs can be used to advance his "education freedom" mandate.
ESAs and school vouchers have spurred debates at the local level for years.
ESA programs allow families to divert a designated amount of per-student public school funding to instead pay for expenses related to private schools, micro-schools or homeschooling -- including tuition, books, tutoring, transportation and more. Similarly, school vouchers reallocate public funds to families so that they can pay for a student's private tuition.
Trump plans to call on the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Defense, and the Secretary of the Interior to provide guidance on granting funds for families to use to "educational alternatives, including private and faith-based options."
