DECATUR, Ga. — The City Schools of Decatur Board of Education voted to rescind or rewrite five policies that showcased the district’s commitment to equity.
The decision comes amid the threat of losing federal funding as President Donald Trump pushes the termination of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and targets the U.S. Department of Education.
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The two rescinded policies included CSD’s equity policy, which was adopted in November 2023, and the district’s “Theory of Action.”
The equity policy’s goal was to give all faculty and students equal opportunities and resources and “provide an inclusive and emotionally supportive environment, free from discrimination.”
The “Theory of Action,” also called school board governance, commits to giving students the “highest quality education possible” and states in their beliefs that “all learning environments must be inclusive, safe, secure, and supportive while also ensuring that no student group is marginalized.”
Three other policies were changed to remove words in certain titles that refer to “equity” or “ADA.”
The school board chair said that as active parents and community members, the board is fully aware of the community’s values, and “wholeheartedly share them.”
“However, as a public school district in the state of Georgia that depends heavily on millions of state and federal dollars to operate the city schools of Decatur, our personal beliefs cannot supersede our fiduciary responsibility to provide high-quality learning environments and services for our students,” said Board Chair Carmen Sulton.
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An angry mother yelled out during a portion of the presentation that the chair was “a coward.”
She refused to get up and go, so four Decatur police officers gathered around her, picked her up and carried her out.
She repeatedly said, “I’m in no way resisting; I am not participating,” as they calmly took her out.
People sat quietly as she was removed.
As the police reached the door to the room to exit, the mother yelled out, “I am not resisting, and this is what fascists do!”
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