FORT MYERS, Fla. — On Tuesday, the School District of Lee County removed the Diversity and Inclusion director job.
The current person in the position is getting reclassified as the Continuous Improvement Director. District representatives say the role leans more towards their Strategic Plan.
County residents spoke with FOX 4 about eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (D.E.I.) school programs.
Watch Fort Myers Community Correspondent Miyoshi Price's report:
Parents shared various perspectives on how removing D.E.I. from schools will impact their children.
The district shared that the actual impacts are still unknown.
In the United States, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) serve as organizational frameworks to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all individuals, particularly those groups that have historically been underrepresented or subjected to discrimination due to their identity or disability.
This includes race, religion, gender, disabilities, and more.
In Lee schools, some parents say, as well as the Diversity and Inclusion directory job description, it is used to engage with these groups through training, extracurricular activities, cultural outreach, and more.
The district says school board policies regarding anti-discrimination based on federal and state laws will remain in place and will be followed.
At a Lee schools workshop, a parent who has a disabled child is concerned with the potential changes his son might experience with the loss of the diversity and inclusion position.
"When they don't have somebody who is a stakeholder from that community, giving a voice being able to give input, to me, they're not going to be able to effectively make the change" says Sergio Cruz, a concerned parent that spoke at a tuesday workshop. "They need it, if they have shown year after year to be really failing to address those achievement gaps with those student you know population."
Lee County School District shares a statement regarding how they plan to address D.E.I.:
The School District of Lee County is currently reviewing the executive orders issued by the President and awaiting further guidelines from the respective federal agencies to ensure our continued compliance. Our School Board policies adhere to federal and state laws and regulations. As federal agencies release specific guidelines related to these executive orders, we will assess and adjust our policies accordingly.
While talking to community members about removing the D.E.I. position, one man whose kids graduated from Lee Schools says the board should worry about students' education first.
"I would say, yes, please remove it and focus on quality education," says John, a Lee County resident who is pro-removing D.E.I. programs from schools. That's what our kids need. We got to get them on track. It's been too abused, too long."
Within 120 days of the executive order, the Attorney General and the Secretary of Education must jointly issue guidance to all state and local educational agencies that receive federal funds.
The district receives about 4.6 million.
