Moms for Liberty claims credit for Department of Education’s new DEI ‘snitch line’
While the Department of Education has refused to confirm if Moms for Liberty was involved in its DEI “snitch line,” Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice claims it’s the “culmination” of her work.
It’s hardly surprising Moms for Liberty would be ecstatic about the new snitch line, considering much of its “work” has revolved around trying to incriminate and harass educators and librarians, as well as take control of school curricula around America. The organization, which has been labeled a hate group by civil rights groups, was the driving force behind the conservative book-banning movement, which most frequently targeted books considered “diverse” and “inclusive.” Its members have also expressed a desire to whitewash the education curriculum and remove anything it deems related to “critical race theory.” In short, Moms for Liberty has spent years grappling for control of U.S. public education so it can inject it with its far-right agenda. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has perfectly aligned with its vision.
Under Donald Trump, the DOE quickly published a press release falsely claiming all book bans were a “hoax” and confirming it would no longer investigate book-banning cases. Later, Trump signed an executive order to give him control of public school curriculum, forcing public schools to teach a “patriotic history” and attempt to erase BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. However, that wasn’t enough to satisfy the right-wing desire to control education. The DOE also set up a snitch line so parents can report teachers for alleged incidents of “DEI.”
How is Moms for Liberty connected to the DOE’s snitch line?
On February 27, the DOE opened its “End DEI” online portal, allowing anyone to report a school, school district, or educator for alleged “illegal discriminatory practices at institutions of learning.” Meanwhile, conservatives have made it clear that “illegal discriminatory practices” means any effort whatsoever to include, recognize, and provide a harassment-free and fair environment to BIPOC, disabled, or LGBTQ+ students or to teach students about topics like sexism, racism, Black history, and white supremacy. It’s horrifying to encourage extremist parents and school officials to spy on educators and potentially wrongfully incriminate anyone they don’t like or agree with politically.
Americans probably recognized that the portal, which positively reinforces political interference in education, reeked of Moms for Liberty. Unsurprisingly, Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice was the only individual quoted for the DOE’s press release on the line. Later, she claimed credit for the portal, describing it as the “culmination” of her work and insisting Moms for Liberty planted the “seed” for the portal. She claimed that the portal’s purpose is to end supposed left-wing “indoctrination,” which she claims is a “betrayal” in American schools. She stated, “This DOE portal is going to really give the department an opportunity to see, again, the landscape, what’s really happening on the ground. They’re going to be able to see fact patterns, and they’re going to be able to do what they call directed investigations.”
Interestingly, Moms for Liberty and DOE have been tight-lipped about whether the organization directly aided in the creation of the portal. Mothers Jones reached out to Moms for Liberty and DOE, but both chose not to answer specific questions about Moms for Liberty’s involvement, though Justice suggested she and her fellow members were the “inspiration” for the snitch line.
Most Americans wouldn’t be surprised if Moms for Liberty were directly involved in this initiative. Its extremist views appear to align perfectly with the current administration. However, one would think the administration would be more careful whom it associates with. Moms for Liberty is so extreme that it’s even unpopular in some Republican circles. Its book-banning movement is wildly unpopular and supported by only the smallest minority in America. Many districts have shut the door on them, with Moms for Liberty facing sweeping school board election losses in 2023. Yet, it refuses to go away, and by the looks of things, it’s trying to make a comeback by proudly insisting it is the “inspiration” for a DEI snitch line.
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