A purge of the Department of Education (DOE) may be underway, as the Trump administration put numerous employees on paid leave allegedly for attending a voluntary diversity training program.
Prior to the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump expressed interest in dismantling the DOE, a desire he shared with the right-wing manifesto Project 2025. Although he has only been in office for two weeks, he’s dangerously close to bringing Project 2025’s vision to fruition. According to CNN, he is drafting an Executive Order to abolish the department without cause. If CNN is correct, it marks Trump’s latest move in controlling U.S. education. Before news of the department’s potential abolishment arose, Trump signed an Executive Order barring schools nationwide from teaching history, acknowledging the LGBTQ+ community, or giving students anything other than a “patriotic” education. Given his desire to control the school curriculum, it’s unsurprising he’d target the DOE next.
The DOE provides vital oversight to schools by managing financial aid, identifying education issues, and promoting equal access to education. Trump likely wants to dismantle it so that he and Musk can seize its funds and demolish its support and oversight of states’ academic standards. Without the DOE, states may lose vital funds designated to the most vulnerable students, such as socioeconomically disadvantaged or disabled students. Regardless of whether Trump’s Executive Order arrives, a purge of the DOE may have already begun.
DOE employees allegedly put on leave over diversity training
Shortly after purging USAID as part of his and Musk’s plans to dismantle the agency, Trump made a similar move on the DOE. According to ABC, dozens of DOE staff were abruptly placed on administrative leave on January 31st at the end of business hours. The employees are currently on paid leave with benefits, but that doesn’t do much to diffuse the uncertainty for the future and confusion over why these employees were specifically targeted. The letters they received notifying them of their leave claimed the action wasn’t “disciplinary.” However, it also noted that it was the result of Trump’s DEI Executive Orders and a necessity to wait for “further guidance.”
Meanwhile, some employees identified a common thread between them. TikTok influencer Aaron Parnas covered the “purge of the Department of Education,” noting that these employees believed they were put on leave because they attended a voluntary diversity training program. Additionally, staff told ABC that 50 of the employees worked in “extremely diverse roles” before being put on leave.
The individuals fired range from civil rights attorneys to press specialists. One employee put on leave has worked for the department for 20 years and feels they’re being punished, telling ABC, “I don’t get it. What’s my crime? What have I done?” The notices of leave have sparked confusion, anxiety, and sadness, as there’s no indication of how long they’ll be on leave. They simply abruptly had their government email access suspended and were told they didn’t need to come to the office or work anymore, even though the majority of these employees are passionate about their jobs and bettering education for everyone. There’s no guarantee they’ll still have jobs after the Trump administration provides “further guidance.”
The allegation that some of these employees may have been put on leave over diversity training is alarming. Trump’s DEI witchhunt is supposedly about ending discrimination, but it feels deeply discriminatory to target people who took the time to attend a training session to better themselves in the workplace. Voluntarily participating in workplace training should not be something punishable by administrative leave. Employees shouldn’t have to fear retaliation because they partook in perfectly legal and acceptable diversity training before Trump declared war on DEI.
Published: Feb 4, 2025 01:29 pm