Horne pushes to eliminate DEI terms from state teaching standards

By Stacy Mantle
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Citing the need to comply with President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14151 — which requires federally funded programs to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion language and policies — Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne directed education officials to prepare a proposal for the Arizona State Board of Education to amend teaching standards so they align with federal directives during a meeting in October.

Arizona receives roughly $866 million in federal education funds each year across Title I, special education, school nutrition, rural education and student support programs — money that supports every district and charter in the state.

Federal guidance with Arizona implications

The U.S. Department of Education recently issued clarifying guidance that race-based decision-making in education violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which applies to all programs receiving federal funds. The DOE’s letter states schools must treat all students equally, regardless of race and warns that “failure to comply could result in termination of federal funding” or legal action for breach of contract.

The guidance follows the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which struck down race-based admissions policies and reaffirmed that eliminating racial discrimination “means eliminating all of it.” This ruling has rapidly reshaped federal oversight of DEI-related initiatives nationwide under the Trump administration, including in K-12 systems that rely heavily on federal dollars.

Under the new enforcement timeline, schools and universities have 14 days from the date of the letter to end any use of race-based factors in admissions, hiring, financial aid, or programming — or risk penalties under the False Claims Act, including triple the normal damages and additional civil fines for inaccurate federal compliance certifications.

Arizona’s debate: what counts as “DEI language”?

Arizona’s current teacher standards reference teaching “equitably,” responding to “cultural backgrounds,” and addressing “social, emotional, and cultural needs of students.” These phrases, long embedded in state-approved standards for educator preparation are now the flashpoint.

Horne said in a phone interview he wants those terms completely removed from Arizona’s teaching standards.

“‘Equitable' once had a positive meaning but is now used to justify teaching students differently by race," Horne said.

He added he also wants to remove references to “cultural contexts.” 

According to Horne, his chief deputy Margaret Garcia Dugan — a former teacher and principal who is Hispanic — reviewed the standards and believed the phrase was being applied in ways that “dumbed things down for Hispanic kids.” Horne said the goal should be to teach the subject matter without altering expectations based on background and to focus early instruction on mastering English. 

Horne argues the terms violate the federal interpretation of Title VI. His proposal seeks to remove them to protect Arizona from the risk of noncompliance.

October vote tabled by State Board

After the state board voted in late October to postpone opening the rule-making process, Horne issued a sharply worded response.

“The president issued an executive order requiring DEI language to be removed from programs funded by federal dollars. It made it abundantly clear that federal education funding is at risk if DEI language remains in education programs. Failure to comply with federal guidance may result in the loss of an estimated $866 million to Arizona schools,” Horne said.

He added that beyond the financial exposure, the debate is fundamentally philosophical.

“All people should be judged based on their character and ability, not their race or ethnicity. DEI language and programs promote the exact opposite, and they have no place in the classroom.”

But those who voted against the measure in October offered different points of view. 

"If we do anything, we need to do it correctly," said board member Dr. Jacqui Clay. "We cannot do things on a knee-jerk. We have to be strategic. We have to understand that we can't do things unilaterally. We need to do this correctly so that the stakeholders and so that we're all included."

"These standards are only five years old," said board member Dr. Kathy Wiebke. "I understand the executive order and the pressure that we are under, but at one point we felt really strongly about this framework because this is what was adopted."

National trends, local stakes

Federal officials have highlighted a series of practices under scrutiny nationwide, including race-restricted scholarships, cultural graduation ceremonies, selective mentorship programs and segregated student housing. Critics argue these initiatives disadvantage white and Asian students and contradict the Equal Protection Clause.

The state board is scheduled to revisit the issue in December and must decide whether to open rule-making. Horne warns delays could push Arizona into noncompliance at the same time federal enforcement tightens.

Legislative pressure adds new momentum

The debate intensified this week after eight Arizona legislators sent a letter to the State Board of Education urging members to begin the formal rule-making process to revise Arizona’s teaching standards and remove DEI-related language.

The letter came ahead of the board’s Dec. 8 meeting, where members are scheduled to reconsider whether to open a months-long stakeholder process that would include the three state universities and educator-preparation programs statewide.

Horne welcomed the letter and said lawmakers’ support highlights both the urgency and the scale of the issue.

“I am very thankful to the eight lawmakers who sent a letter calling on the board to start the process to revise Arizona’s teaching standards and remove DEI language,” Horne said. “This is essential not just because DEI language improperly emphasizes race over individual merit, but it threatens $866 million in federal education funds under the President’s recent Executive Order.”

He added he sees the matter as both legal and instructional.

“Removing DEI terms from state teaching standards is the right thing to do. We must rid race-based ideology from the classroom and ensure teachers spend their time teaching math, science, language, history and the arts. The support of these legislators is especially helpful to convey the importance and urgency of this task, and I urge my fellow board members not to further delay this process.”

The Arizona Department of Education has recommended that the state board open a full stakeholder review of the teaching standards, a process that typically spans several months and includes legal review, university consultation, public comment and formal rule-making protocols.

If the board approves the motion at its Dec. 8 meeting, work would begin immediately.

Editor’s note: A grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation made this story possible. The foundation awarded 15 newsrooms to pay for solutions-focused education reporters for two years. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.

Stacy Mantle
Education Solutions Reporter

smantle@iniusa.org

Meet Stacy
Stacy Mantle is joining the team at Independent Newsmedia, Inc. as an Education Solutions journalist, thanks to a grant from the Arizona Community Collaborative. She has a long history in education that ranges from teaching junior high and middle school to developing curriculum and standards-based assessments.

Community: A longtime advocate for animal welfare, Stacy is deeply involved in rescue efforts and volunteers with several nonprofit organizations.

Random Fact: Once upon a time, she shared her home with a pet coyote and two wolf hybrids. The experiences were wild enough to become the subject of her first book!

Education: She holds a BA in English with a minor in Political Science, a Post-baccalaureate in Secondary Education, and an MBA with a emphasis on Marketing.

Hobbies: In her spare time, Stacy writes fast-paced urban fantasy novels, crafts small-batch artisan soap, and is always up for hiking or off-roading through the Arizona wilderness with her husband of 23 years.