Vermont Business Magazine Last Friday, April 4th, in response to a time-sensitive directive received from the U.S. Department of Education the Vermont Agency of Education issued a superintendents' update alerting the field to the directive and providing an initial legal review. The directive requires the State of Vermont and Vermont school districts to reaffirm their compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which is the existing law prohibiting race-based discrimination in schools that Vermont schools have followed for decades.
In response, Secretary of Education Zoie Saunders issued the following statement:
“The political rhetoric around this federal directive is designed to create outrage in our communities, confusion in our schools, and self-censorship in our policy making. But we are not going to allow the chaos to control how we feel, or how we respond. Our priority is to protect Vermont’s values, preserve essential federal funding, and support schools in creating positive school environments free from the type of bullying and manipulation we see in our national politics today. Nothing about this directive requires a change to our diversity, equity and inclusion practices, and we’re not going to change.”
“It is critical to be calm, confident, and clear eyed about the difference between lawful education initiatives and political rhetoric. For example, the Trump administration has issued several executive orders that characterize DEI as practices that shame or exclude students of majority groups, calling supportive mental health and school climate initiatives “veiled discriminatory practices” and accusing schools of assigning less value to certain students because of their race. These descriptions could not be further from the truth of what takes place in Vermont classrooms. In Vermont, diversity, equity and inclusion practices are about being supportive of all students to create and sustain positive, welcoming learning environments.”
“Importantly, none of President Trump’s executive orders are legally binding related to instruction in Vermont classrooms. The Agency of Education continues to provide information to the field, reassuring school districts that current initiatives, which are perfectly legal as a matter of state and federal law, can and should continue.”
“We will not give in to misleading and damaging myths about diversity, equity and inclusion work. Nor will we allow these myths to distract us from our commitment to creating inclusive environments where students feel they belong and know they are supported by their educators.”
Vermont’s Attorney General Charity Clark reinforced these sentiments saying, “Vermont has been following the law, will follow the law, and we will continue to protect Vermonters against any unlawful actions by the federal government. I also want to remind Vermonters that Vermont has our own state laws that offer greater protections for students, employees, and the general public, and we will enforce those with equal vigor as well. A change in administration in Washington doesn't change Vermont's sovereign right to educate its children consistent with the laws.”
The Agency of Education will continue to collaborate with the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and national partners in reviewing the request from the U.S. Department of Education. Our priorities are to safeguard federal dollars that our highest need communities depend on and to support the Vermont values that make our public education system so special.
Source: 4.7.2025. Montpelier, Vt.-Vermont AOE
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