Today Vermont Secretary of Education, Zoie Saunders, and Attorney General, Charity Clark, released a joint statement Affirming Support for the Civil Rights Act in Responding to the Title VI Certification Request from the US Department of Education that the state received last Thursday.
In the statement, Secretary Saunders said, “The political rhetoric around this federal directive is designed to create outrage in our communities, confusion in our schools, and self-censorship in our policy making. But we are not going to allow the chaos to control how we feel, or how we respond."
Criticizing Trump administration rhetoric around DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), Saunders added, “It is critical to be calm, confident, and clear eyed about the difference between lawful education initiatives and political rhetoric.... We will not give in to misleading and damaging myths about diversity, equity and inclusion work. Nor will we allow these myths to distract us from our commitment to creating inclusive environments where students feel they belong and know they are supported by their educators.”
Echoing Secretary Saunders' sentiments, Vermont Attorney General, Charity Clark, said in the joint statement, “Vermont has been following the law, will follow the law, and we will continue to protect Vermonters against any unlawful actions by the federal government."
Read the full statement.