BOISE, Idaho – The governing board for education in Idaho will consider a resolution that would close offices and efforts dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion.
The matter is on the agenda Thursday for a special meeting of the Idaho State Board of Education.
The resolution, outlined beginning on 841 of the agenda materials, states that Idaho colleges “shall ensure that no central office, policy, procedure, or initiative is dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion, except as required for athletic compliance, academic program-specific accreditation, academic research, academic instruction, eligibility for federal grants and programs, and scholarships.
It also states that colleges “ensure student success centers are dedicated to all students.”
Finally, it includes language that “no institution employee or student shall be required to declare gender identity or preferred pronouns in any form of education.”
The agenda says portions of the resolution borrow language from a recent resolution adopted by the Utah Board of Higher Education.
Utah passed a law this year, eliminating DEI offices at colleges and universities.
A similar law could be considered in Idaho. A legislative task force looked into this issue last session and plans to meet again in early December.
Idaho Education News reports that the issue of DEI on college campuses has been debated across the country since 2020.
The Idaho board is expected to vote on this issue in Thursday’s special meeting.
It begins at noon pacific time and will be streamed at this link.
COPYRIGHT 2024 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
