On Thursday, the Utah State Board of Education denied a proposal to officially take a stand against concepts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Following numerous phone calls and emails from concerned individuals, the state school board members ultimately made this choice. The proposal they were considering aimed to characterize DEI initiatives as "Soviet" and "Marxist," and it also instructed all Utah public schools to terminate every single DEI activity.
Utah has already outlawed DEI practices In governmental entities, such as public educational institutions.
However, the resolution claimed without providing specific instances that Utah public schools "continue to be at odds with state law and disregard the legislature's explicit instruction to forbid the teaching and application of DEI [CRT]."
The five board members—Joann Brinton, Rod Hall, Christina Boggess, Cole Kelley, and Emily Green—had requested to include the resolution on the board’s meeting agenda.
A representative from USBE informed The Salt Lake Tribune earlier that resolutions outline the board's formal stance on an issue but lack the "legal weight of a board rule or policy."
Several board members stated this was the reason they were unable to back the proposal, as it did not pass with a tally of 10 against and 4 in favor.
We establish rules," stated board member Molly Hart. "In case of issues within our districts, we refrain from drafting resolutions. end of story. A resolution accomplishes next to nothing apart from causing confusion.
All but one of the initial proposers of the resolution, Kelley, supported it. He mentioned the opposition from community members as a reason indicating the necessity for modifications.
Boggess, who maintained her backing, contended that implementing it was crucial to prevent backlash from the federal administration following President Donald Trump’s orders. remove diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives from governmental organizations She mentioned that the state school board ought to demonstrate its backing for the Utah Legislature as well.
I believe we're essentially flipping the bird to the Legislature," Boggess stated. "It seems like we're also thumbing our nose at our federal agencies, which have strongly advocated for addressing these matters and urged us to take action.
'My telephone never stopped ringing.'
A preliminary version of the suggested resolution was initially posted online earlier this week, swiftly raising concerns within the community.
I represent a peaceful area where residents rarely get in touch. But yesterday," remarked Board Second Vice Chair LeAnn Wood, "my telephone didn't cease to ring.
A number of locals also voiced their opposition to the resolution during the public comments session on Thursday.
The identities children bring into the classroom are essential components of how they learn," stated Amelia Landay, a teacher at an elementary school funded through Title I programs. "Requesting that we disregard their varied backgrounds contradicts district guidelines.
Several students affiliated with Latinos in Action —a nationwide group that collaborates with schools to address and reduce graduation and opportunities disparities for Latino students—stated that the resolution could jeopardize the program.
Some contended that the resolution weakened teachers.
"We are more concerned with how members of the State Board of Education are depicting the educational system in the state instead of backing the educators in schools," Lexi Cunningham said to the board members.
Cunningham serves as the executive director for the Utah School Superintendents Association and also holds the position of associate executive director at the Utah School Boards Association.
"Suggesting that there is a culture of noncompliance and an outright disrespect for laws is fostering a rift between this board and the educational sector," she said additionally.
Connecting DEI to Soviet Russia is misleading, according to a scholar.
The initial drafted version of the suggested resolution claimed that DEI concepts stemmed from Soviet Russia and were part of a "Communist" initiative aimed at attaining "true equality, or equity."
A revised version issued on Thursday eliminated the terms "Communist" and "communism," yet retained the stance that DEI fundamentally stems from Soviet ideology. The document further stated that Soviet initiatives termed "korenezikacia" and "raznoobrazie" correspond to "inclusion" and "diversity," respectively.
But Rebekah Ramsay A Soviet historian from the University of California, Berkeley, informed The Tribune via email that those translations as well as other claims made in the resolution are incorrect.
It would be challenging to convincingly claim that DEI programs in 21st-century Utah 'in essence' originated as a 1920s Soviet policy," Ramsay stated, although she acknowledged that both share connections with "the broader history of equality rights activism.
Ramsay stated that "коренизация" does not signify "inclusion," as claimed in the resolution, but rather more precisely means "nativization" (or literally "root-ification").
This phrase pertains to early Soviet nationalization efforts which encompassed policies stating that non-Russian areas ought to be administered by locals who belong primarily to the dominant ethnicity of that particular region. Additionally, these policies mandated that educational institutions and government services provide resources in the local vernacular languages, with an emphasis on ensuring all inhabitants acquire proficiency in their regional tongue, as mentioned by Ramsay.
"It wasn't really about 'inclusion' or 'diversity,' but more so about autonomy and rights," she stated in an email. Korenizatsiia was most notable during the 1920s, when the Soviet Union had just been established. It faced suppression under Stalin, even though it wasn’t formally abolished. Many of those who were part of the earlier movement... korenizatsiia’ were labeled as 'bourgeois nationalists' by the end of the 1920s and were executed during the 'Great Purge' in the late 1930s."
The second point mentioned in the resolution, "разнообразие," pertains to diversity, yet it was noted by Ramsay that this term is used "in a descriptive or celebratory manner."
"I've never encountered it being used to signify a program or initiative," Ramsay stated. Additionally, although "equality" was a target of the Soviets, concepts like "diversity, equity, and inclusion" have not traditionally been linked to their endeavors, she further noted.
"Soviet policies regularly condemned and marginalized specific groups of individuals," Ramsay stated.
The resolution proceeds to characterize "identity politics" and "inclusion" as fundamentally Marxist notions. It contends that "inclusion" involves giving precedence to underrepresented communities or minority viewpoints (termed "counter-hegemonic perspectives") over those of the majority population, thereby fostering "uniformity in substance via Marxist ideology."
The objective, as stated in the resolution, is to attain "true equality."
Ramsay stated that "true equality" is a concept originating from the Soviet Party rather than from Marxist ideology. Marxism, which was formulated by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, criticizes capitalist systems and promotes the idea of a classless society.
The focus on 'actual equality' is an unconventional selection," she remarked. "These words stem from a Soviet concept, primarily linked to debates held during the 12th Party Congress in 1923.
DEI's prominent position in public education for many years
Diversity, equity and inclusion, as a concept, promotes the fair treatment and full participation of all people, especially populations that have historically been underrepresented, according to the American Psychological Association.
In the realm of public education, DEI involves guaranteeing that every student, irrespective of their origins, gets equitable access to learning opportunities.
Critics of DEI contend that it is "not American" and believe that it aims to "tear down our whole society and reshape it," as they claim. Mike Gonzalez a senior fellow at The Heritage Foundation, wrote In February. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative research organization, is the driving force behind the far-right movement. Project 2025 policy book.
DEI practices have long been standard in public schools and universities; however, experts suggest that its political aspect gained prominence following George Floyd’s death in 2020. This event led to a surge of DEI programs within both governmental bodies and corporations across America, as reported by sources. USA Today report.
These efforts faced significant opposition from conservatives and swiftly turned into a focal point for politics. Over the past few years, GOP-controlled states like Utah have begun imposing restrictions on DEI programs, prohibiting their use and related terms within state-run organizations.
In an executive order dated January 29, Trump referred to diversity, equity, and inclusion as " indoctrination and 'discriminative' and demanded the removal of all federal funds associated with it.
Utah’s early anti-DEI laws
Prior to the federal DEI initiative, Utah had implemented several prohibitions against DEI in government over the past two years through various laws and administrative regulations.
HB261 , an anti-DEI bill enacted in 2024, reduced diversity initiatives throughout public education and government agencies statewide.
HB427 Passed in 2023, this legislation mandated that students must learn about racism, sexism, and oppression following specific guidelines. These include the principle that individuals do not inherently possess racist or sexist attitudes due to their race, gender, or other identities.
After both, the Utah State School Board in 2024 amended an administrative rule initially intended to guarantee "equal educational opportunities" for every student. The updated regulation, R277-328 , bans all forms of education or exercises associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The state also previously banned Critical Race Theory (CRT) should not be taught in Utah schools according to the proposed resolution introduced on Thursday, which mistakenly and repeatedly claimed that CRT is equivalent to DEI concepts.
Critical Race Theory is an advanced academic framework that examines how societal norms, legal systems, and media influence perceptions of race and ethnicity; it views racism as embedded within the structures of Western societies.
After numerous allegations claiming that Critical Race Theory was being taught in Utah’s educational institutions, a The 2022 state audit discovered no proof. to support those claims.