{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Public Education Matters","title":"Is DEI a dirty word? These rural Ohio students don't think so.","html":"<iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless src=\"https://share.transistor.fm/e/3dd5a4f6\"></iframe>","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1208,"description":"Kelsie Bullock is a small-town teacher making a big impact - and proving that every student deserves to belong. A few years ago, she started a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Club for her Morgan County high school students.  Now, as political attacks threaten programs like hers, Bullock and her students are standing strong, creating a safe space where everyone can connect across differences and feel proud of who they are - no exceptions.\nKNOW YOUR RIGHTS | Take a listen to NEA's School Me podcast for a discussion with Alice O’Brien, general counsel for the National Education Association, as she walks through your rights, risks, and opportunities to push back against anti-equality policies and fear tactics: A Lawyer Explains: \"DEI\" and Anti-Equity Policies in Schools | NEA || OEA members with questions are urged to contact their Labor Relations Consultant for guidance\n\nON THE FEDERAL LEVEL | Click here for information from NEA about several recent court rulings impacting inclusive education in public schools.\nIn February, 2025, the US Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague Letter threatening schools and colleges across the country with the loss of federal funding in a matter of days if they continued to pursue vaguely defined “DEI programs.” \nThe National Education Association, ACLU, and others filed a lawsuit to block enforcement of this directive, saying 'the Letter radically resets ED’s longstanding positions on civil rights laws that guarantee equality and inclusion and impermissibly infringes on the authority of states and school districts over public education, as well as the First Amendment rights of educators and students. \nIn April, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction, preventing the US Department of Education from enforcing the directive while litigation continues. Read NEA's statement on the court ruling here: Federal court grants preliminary injunction against Department of Education’s unlawful directive | NEA\nHERE IN OHIO | Ohio...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/qLU1HXpO0BWjHZ9wsRqLDb3niD3HIo0pJs38nc-jHtg/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzE3NTcwLzE2OTEw/ODIxNjctYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}