Idaho bans DEI in public colleges and universities
Idaho’s schools will be required to ‘establish and maintain equality of opportunity so that all students may succeed regardless of personal identity characteristics.’
The measure also bans schools from forcing community members to state their ‘preferred pronouns’ on official forms.
The Idaho State Board of Education recently passed a resolution ending Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the Gem State’s public colleges and universities.
The measure, titled a “resolution on DEI ideology,” was passed on Wednesday. It defines DEI ideology as “any approach that prioritizes ‘personal identity characteristics’ (race, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, or gender identity) over individual merit.”
The resolution mandates that Idaho’s schools “shall establish and maintain equality of opportunity so that all students may succeed regardless of personal identity characteristics.” It further prohibits institutions of higher education from using DEI principles regarding the “employment or education of any employee or student.”
As part of the crackdown on DEI, the Board banned DEI offices on campuses, and noted that schools “shall ensure that no student resource or student success center serves students based on DEI ideology.”
The latter measure is apparently meant to preempt the state’s schools from simply changing the titles of their DEI offices while keeping the same mission and personnel, something that has been done by universities in other states.
Finally, the resolution stops universities from forcing students and others from “declar[ing] gender identity or preferred pronouns in any form of communication.”
The Board also passed other resolutions pertaining to higher education.
Another resolution also states that institutions of higher education must “maintain political neutrality” and “refrain from taking public positions on political, social, or unsettled issues that do not directly relate to the institution’s mission, role, or pedagogical objectives.” It also promotes free speech on campus and bans protests that cause massive disruption to campus life.
Boise State University has already shut down its DEI centers over Thanksgiving in apparent anticipation of the Board’s actions.
A representative of the Board told Campus Reform there is “no further comment at this time.”
