Teacher Appreciation Week this year is taking place under a shadow of uncertainty for those navigating political waters while trying to ensure students get the education they need. \u00a0<\/p>\n
K-12 schools are navigating book bans and running into state laws barring diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and transgender athletes.<\/p>\n
College professors are watching as billions of dollars in research funding gets frozen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And, increasingly, children and parents are being called on to report teachers they feel may be in violation of new policies to the authorities.<\/p>\n
A teacher from California, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject, told The Hill her colleagues are no longer teaching the classic American novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” because \u201cit\u2019s too racially charged.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Educators are \u201cavoiding\u201d hard topics, she said, \u201cbecause they don’t know which parents are going to get angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
“They become very kind of angry and activist, and it’s really hard to navigate right now. It’s just uncertain,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Pressures on teachers have come from the federal, state and local levels, creating a precarious situation for schools across the country.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Education Department recently created an \u201canti-DEI\u201d portal where parents and concerned members of community can report what the federal agency describes as illegal practices in classrooms.<\/p>\n
The portal came on the heels of a certification letter the department sent to districts and states to verify there are no DEI programs in their schools. That letter has been temporarily blocked by a judge, echoing concerns of teachers that the federal agency is not operating under a clear definition of what is considered illegal DEI.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has pulled millions of dollars in contracts with universities over alleged inaction on antisemitism, jeopardizing thousands of jobs.<\/p>\n
Fears of divisions among students, educators and parents are particularly prominent in Republican-led states that have laws on the books against DEI and what can be discussed in class.<\/p>\n
“If you look at the way this has actually been implemented across the country, DEI is better viewed as standing for discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has said. “And that has no place in our public institutions.”<\/p>\n