Kimberly Jones, seen here addressing students, was the 2023 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year. Jones is one of many teachers who are deeply concerned about a bill approved by the General Assembly that would ban DEI in public education. (Photo: NCDPI YouTube video)
A bill to ban diversity, equity, and inclusion in North Carolina public schools is now on Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s desk, where it faces a likely veto after months of heated debate. But for many educators who spoke out this spring as the bill advanced through the legislature, their concerns remain just as urgent. If it becomes law despite the veto, what will this mean for how they teach — and for the students they serve?
Senate Bill 227, passed last week by the Republican-controlled General Assembly, prohibits instruction, training or professional development that promotes what lawmakers call “divisive concepts.” It would bar school districts from maintaining DEI-related offices, restrict hiring practices tied to equity efforts, and require public schools to certify annual compliance with the law.
The educators quoted in this story spoke to NC Newsline during interviews in March, as the bill and others like it moved through the legislature. For them, the legislation represents not just a shift in policy but a potential disruption to how they build trust and connection with students.
“If we take away some of these strategies and materials that support engagement — where kids see themselves reflected in what we’re trying to teach — we’re going to lose the buy-in for why we want them to care, to try and to show up at school,” said Sarah Hill, a first-grade teacher at Banks Road Elementary School in Wake County.
Teaching in a gray area
Teachers say the bill’s vague language leaves them uncertain about what’s permitted and afraid of facing consequences for teaching topics related to race, gender or history, even when aligned with state standards.
“The idea that we would educate students in a way that doesn’t acknowledge the world’s diversity is laughable,” said Kimberly Jones, North Carolina’s 2023 Teacher of the Year. “I have never found acknowledging the truth to be divisive. The problem is never in seeing the differences that exist in the world. The problem is when we turn a beautiful and amazingly complex spectrum of life into a ladder of hierarchy.”
While the bill allows for “impartial” discussions of controversial historical topics, some say it’s unclear how those boundaries will be interpreted — or enforced.
Christina Cole, Wake NCAE President and a former educator, warned that the bill could impact student learning and school inclusivity. She argued that DEI programs are important for supporting marginalized students, particularly those from Black, LGBTQ, and bilingual communities.
“Public schools are one of the few places in our democratic society where people come together across lines of difference,” Cole said. “It’s our responsibility as educators to welcome students and their families regardless of who they are or who they love.”
Cole, who worked in Wake County’s Office of Equity Affairs from 2018 to 2022, said those initiatives directly improved student performance, especially for students in special education and for students of color. She warned the legislation could force teachers to remove welcoming classroom displays, restrict book selections and cut support services for diverse student populations.
Impact in the classroom
For Elliot Brody, a school counselor at Banks Road Elementary, the loss of DEI-focused professional development would take away critical tools for reaching vulnerable students.
“Diversity is representing all people — all walks of life, all colors, religions, different types of ability levels,” Brody said. “And inclusion is doing practices to make sure that everyone’s voice is heard.”
He said DEI training gave him tools to better support students dealing with bullying, feeling left out or instability at home. Without that support, he worries some kids may no longer feel supported.
“We’re not trying to push anything onto anybody,” Brody said. “We’re trying to make things more possible for them to reach their potential.”
The bill would prohibit awarding continuing education credit for DEI-related training and bar public schools from contracting with outside experts for such work.
Supporters say the bill promotes neutrality
Republican lawmakers say the legislation is meant to restore fairness and ideological neutrality in classrooms and aligns with a Jan. 29, 2025, executive order by President Donald Trump.
Supporters argue DEI programs promote a worldview that “stifles opportunity” and “stokes division” by encouraging students to judge others based on race or sex.
“Children should learn in an environment free from discrimination and should not be taught divisive concepts such as that one race or sex is inherently superior to another,” Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of the NC Values Coalition, said in a statement to NC Newsline this past spring.
“DEI enshrines discrimination into our public schools instead of eliminating it. It creates a toxic, divisive environment. We support its elimination and bringing fairness back to public schools.”
A question of representation
Keiyonna Dubashi, founder and executive director of “Profound Ladies” — a nonprofit that supports educators of color — said the legislation could worsen longstanding racial disparities in North Carolina’s schools. With 80 percent of the state’s teachers identifying as white, Dubashi said DEI work is often about ensuring students see themselves reflected in their education — and in the adults who lead their classrooms.
“If we don’t force folks to take another look at our talent pool,” she said, “we’re going to continue to see the workforce stay majority white, even though our student demographic is not a representation of that.”
Dubashi said she didn’t learn about Black history until adulthood, a gap that left her questioning her own potential. “Sometimes I just wondered, can I achieve that? Is that possible?” she said. “Because you don’t see yourself in so many of the great stories.”
The bill bans instruction that suggests people should feel guilt or discomfort because of their identity, or that meritocracy or American founding principles are inherently racist.
Dubashi said those restrictions leave little room to examine systemic inequality or help students understand their world. “It’s not divisive to welcome more voices and perspectives into the room,” she said. “If you don’t want diversity, then what do you want — the opposite of diversity?
What happens next
Senate Bill 227 is one of three Republican-backed proposals approved last week that target DEI programs in K-12 schools, universities and state government. All three measures are now before Gov. Stein, who is expected to veto them.
Senate Republicans have enough votes to override a veto, while House Republicans would need at least one Democrat to vote with them if all members are present.
Jones, the former Teacher of the Year, said lawmakers should focus on policies that address students’ real needs.
“There are many things that could happen to support our public schools,” she said. “I just don’t see how this bill is one of them.”
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