Michael Rice, the State Superintendent of Michigan, said the state will not comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order ending the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and radical gender ideology.
In a letter sent to local and intermediate school district superintendents and public school academy directors, Rice wrote, “All children—no exceptions—deserve safe, welcoming schools. All have the right to be free from bullying and discrimination. To the absolute best of our ability, we as educators have the responsibility to ensure these rights for all in schools.”
He said that it is “unlawful to discriminate against individuals on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression” in the state of Michigan, adding, “Neither a presidential executive order nor federal regulations, whether related to federal funding or not, can supersede or otherwise set aside our obligation to comply with a validly enacted state anti-discrimination law. State civil rights law remains the law.”
“This reminder is particularly important given the events of the last few weeks, including recent executive orders that could negatively affect LGBTQ+ students, and removal from federal websites of health data, guidance documents, and resources for schools on this topic,” Rice noted.
Trump’s executive order demanding the end to CRT and gender indoctrination in classrooms explained, “Parents trust America’s schools to provide their children with a rigorous education and to instill a patriotic admiration for our incredible Nation and the values for which we stand.”
“In recent years, however, parents have witnessed schools indoctrinate their children in radical, anti-American ideologies while deliberately blocking parental oversight. Such an environment operates as an echo chamber, in which students are forced to accept these ideologies without question or critical examination,” the order read, noting that in many cases, “innocent children are compelled to adopt identities as either victims or oppressors solely based on their skin color and other immutable characteristics,” while in other cases, “young men and women are made to question whether they were born in the wrong body and whether to view their parents and their reality as enemies to be blamed.”
“These practices not only erode critical thinking but also sow division, confusion, and distrust, which undermine the very foundations of personal identity and family unity.”
