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In 2018, Dallas ISD officials adopted a policy in which they committed to “systemically change its practices in order to achieve and maintain racial equity in education.”
In 2020, trustees amended it, adding a specific pledge to Black students and Black lives in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by police in Minneapolis.
Now, in 2025, they may walk it back under state and national pressure.
As Texas lawmakers and President Donald Trump decry DEI work, the state’s second largest school district is proposing revisions to its educational equity policy — and suggesting it eliminate the word “equity.”
The Education Lab
Trustees are expected to discuss the changes at Thursday’s board briefing. Board members went into a closed session at the start of the 11:30 a.m. meeting.
The proposed policy update commits to success for all students.
“The District shall systematically and systemically improve its practices to achieve and maintain accountability in education,” it reads.
“This means creating a system where all students are treated fairly, with an understanding that their individual circumstances may differ. The District will provide additional and differentiated resources as needed to support the success of every student.”
District officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The changes are part of a broader movement from Republicans against diversity, equity and inclusion work in Texas. The Legislature recently passed a wide-ranging “DEI ban,” while the Trump administration has threatened to withhold federal money if districts don’t confirm they’ve eliminated DEI practices.
Related:LGBTQ clubs, DEI in public schools would be banned under bill headed to the governor
The catchall acronym became a target of many Republican lawmakers, whose criticisms include that such practices come at the expense of white children.
Aware of the political climate, Dallas ISD leaders have already made several related changes. In May, a document regulating employment practices was amended to remove a section on recruitment and retention through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion.
In addition, a senior district official’s title was changed to eliminate a reference to racial equity work. The district’s Racial Equity Office webpage — which had published metrics tracking DISD’s progress in providing academic opportunities to Black students and children learning English, among other benchmarks — now leads to an error message.
Related:Dallas schools strike DEI language from district site
DISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde previously said those language changes don’t change the district’s mission.
“Truthfully, all I’m doing is I’m using synonyms for the same work because I also have to recognize that there are some words that people will misinterpret as things that are illegal,” Elizalde told The Dallas Morning News. “The equity work is continuing. Not one piece of work that we’re doing has actually changed. … What we call it has changed.”
“I’m just not calling it a dozen. I’m calling it 12.”
The proposed policy notes that DISD is required to monitor student performance, disaggregated by demographic groups, through state’s public school accountability system.
“This includes the development and implementation of evidence-based interventions when persistent gaps are identified,” it reads.”
The changes proposed for the equity policy would represent a shift in Dallas ISD, which has long prided itself as a leader in promoting this type of work.
Former DISD trustee Maxie Johnson, who recently left the board for the City Council, urged district leaders to move forward with greater transparency. He recalled the many community meetings that trustees held when they first passed the equity policy.
“We understand the challenges that we are facing, but we can do better, Johnson said. ”We do have time.”
The vast majority of DISD students are children of color. About 70% of students are Hispanic and roughly 20% are Black.
Related:Schools honoring Confederate generals get new names as Dallas ISD pledges to strive for equity
Dallas ISD’s equity efforts have included programs to address longstanding disparities between racial groups. For example, the district instituted plans to address why Black students were overrepresented in discipline statistics while underrepresented in honors classes.
“We have never disenfranchised one group of students for the advancement of another,” Elizalde said. “We also recognize that there are student groups who are woefully underperforming, and that’s a result of access to resources and high-quality instructional materials and teachers.”
The proposed policy rewrite still commits to “intentionally measuring, disaggregating, monitoring, and reporting on data for African American and English language learners to understand the impact of the District’s systems on these two populations.”
When it first passed the policy, trustees said it was important to acknowledge historical inequities — and the district’s role in perpetuating them.
It took over 30 years of litigation and judicial oversight for the district to achieve desegregation.
It was declared officially desegregated in 2003 — nearly 50 years after the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision.
The proposed changes would strike from the policy an acknowledgement of “the history of institutional racism.”
Also Thursday, the district will discuss a proposed change to its purchasing and acquisition policy. It would move from encouraging the use of more women and minority-owned businesses to a “race neutral” program supporting small business enterprises.
The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.
The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, Judy and Jim Gibbs, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Ron and Phyllis Steinhart, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks, and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.
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In 2018, Dallas ISD officials adopted a policy in which they committed to “systemically change its practices in order to achieve and maintain racial equity in education.”
In 2020, trustees amended it, adding a specific pledge to Black students and Black lives in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by police in Minneapolis.
Now, in 2025, they may walk it back under state and national pressure.
As Texas lawmakers and President Donald Trump decry DEI work, the state’s second largest school district is proposing revisions to its educational equity policy — and suggesting it eliminate the word “equity.”
The Education Lab
Trustees are expected to discuss the changes at Thursday’s board briefing. Board members went into a closed session at the start of the 11:30 a.m. meeting.
The proposed policy update commits to success for all students.
“The District shall systematically and systemically improve its practices to achieve and maintain accountability in education,” it reads.
“This means creating a system where all students are treated fairly, with an understanding that their individual circumstances may differ. The District will provide additional and differentiated resources as needed to support the success of every student.”
District officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The changes are part of a broader movement from Republicans against diversity, equity and inclusion work in Texas. The Legislature recently passed a wide-ranging “DEI ban,” while the Trump administration has threatened to withhold federal money if districts don’t confirm they’ve eliminated DEI practices.
Related:LGBTQ clubs, DEI in public schools would be banned under bill headed to the governor
The catchall acronym became a target of many Republican lawmakers, whose criticisms include that such practices come at the expense of white children.
Aware of the political climate, Dallas ISD leaders have already made several related changes. In May, a document regulating employment practices was amended to remove a section on recruitment and retention through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion.
In addition, a senior district official’s title was changed to eliminate a reference to racial equity work. The district’s Racial Equity Office webpage — which had published metrics tracking DISD’s progress in providing academic opportunities to Black students and children learning English, among other benchmarks — now leads to an error message.
Related:Dallas schools strike DEI language from district site
DISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde previously said those language changes don’t change the district’s mission.
“Truthfully, all I’m doing is I’m using synonyms for the same work because I also have to recognize that there are some words that people will misinterpret as things that are illegal,” Elizalde told The Dallas Morning News. “The equity work is continuing. Not one piece of work that we’re doing has actually changed. … What we call it has changed.”
“I’m just not calling it a dozen. I’m calling it 12.”
The proposed policy notes that DISD is required to monitor student performance, disaggregated by demographic groups, through state’s public school accountability system.
“This includes the development and implementation of evidence-based interventions when persistent gaps are identified,” it reads.”
The changes proposed for the equity policy would represent a shift in Dallas ISD, which has long prided itself as a leader in promoting this type of work.
Former DISD trustee Maxie Johnson, who recently left the board for the City Council, urged district leaders to move forward with greater transparency. He recalled the many community meetings that trustees held when they first passed the equity policy.
“We understand the challenges that we are facing, but we can do better, Johnson said. ”We do have time.”
The vast majority of DISD students are children of color. About 70% of students are Hispanic and roughly 20% are Black.
Related:Schools honoring Confederate generals get new names as Dallas ISD pledges to strive for equity
Dallas ISD’s equity efforts have included programs to address longstanding disparities between racial groups. For example, the district instituted plans to address why Black students were overrepresented in discipline statistics while underrepresented in honors classes.
“We have never disenfranchised one group of students for the advancement of another,” Elizalde said. “We also recognize that there are student groups who are woefully underperforming, and that’s a result of access to resources and high-quality instructional materials and teachers.”
The proposed policy rewrite still commits to “intentionally measuring, disaggregating, monitoring, and reporting on data for African American and English language learners to understand the impact of the District’s systems on these two populations.”
When it first passed the policy, trustees said it was important to acknowledge historical inequities — and the district’s role in perpetuating them.
It took over 30 years of litigation and judicial oversight for the district to achieve desegregation.
It was declared officially desegregated in 2003 — nearly 50 years after the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision.
The proposed changes would strike from the policy an acknowledgement of “the history of institutional racism.”
Also Thursday, the district will discuss a proposed change to its purchasing and acquisition policy. It would move from encouraging the use of more women and minority-owned businesses to a “race neutral” program supporting small business enterprises.
The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.
The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, Judy and Jim Gibbs, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Ron and Phyllis Steinhart, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks, and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.
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