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The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
With the implementation of this year’s “Dismantling DEI Act”, Metro Nashville Public Schools is taking steps to revise their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies to come into compliance with the new law while higher education institutions seem to be doubling down on their DEI practices.
The act, which went into effect in May of this year, mandates the removal of DEI departments, programs, policies, and hiring practices in governmental and public institutions, triggering a complete removal of two policies and new language in a third for Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS).
During their regular meeting on July 22, the MNPS board voted to remove its guidelines to build equity and diversity among students, educators, and business partners. Despite the measure’s passage, several board members voiced concerns and oppositions, with some making clear their votes were only to ensure compliance with state law.
District 9 representative Abigail Taylor, who authored the education equity section of MNPS policy, voted against the change, saying, “I find this particular directive the opposite of what should be intended for our school system and our society as a whole.”
“If not for state law, we would not be taking this action,” District 8 Board Member Erin O’Hara Block said.
One of the affected policies had the district set a goal to award contracts to vendors, suppliers, and other contractors “reflecting local small, minority-owned, woman-owned, and disabled veteran-owned businesses”.
Another now-revised policy dealt with “education equity” guidelines to “identify, respond to, and redress iniquity” in the district’s planning and budgeting process.
A line from the policy guiding the board’s hiring decisions has also been removed as it included goals for “educator diversity that reflected the diversity of the student population.”
Reportedly, MNPS recently reorganized its office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to the Office of Student Success and Opportunity, with spokesperson Sean Braisted stating the change began prior to the implementation of federal executive orders or state laws.
Braisted claims the updated name, “more accurately reflects the core of our work: ensuring every student has access to the resources, support, and opportunities they need to thrive- regardless of background or circumstance.”
But while some K-12 schools are slowly coming into compliance with the new laws, several Tennessee institutions of higher education are deliberately subverting them.
Belmont University has been outed for hiding illegal alien students and deliberately pushing DEI policies through crafty rebranding so they can “operate in the shadows”.
University of Tennessee (UT) has carefully retooled their DEI programs as “Access & Engagement” with coordinator Will Eakin saying, “It’s a chess game” on undercover footage from Fox News Digital.
The UT staffer continued, “We had to take our current programming and our future programming and make sure that it aligns so that we can do the work that we’re trying to do, while also catering to the Department of Education, the federal. The biggest thing is using language as a tool for protection.”
Eakin praised the efficiency of the school’s government relations team in guiding staff and faculty on how to deal with anti-DEI legislation at the state and federal level. He also boasted of the longevity of the deceit, claiming the rebrand, and committees, task forces, and offices have been up and running since 2020 to “get ahead of the curve” as DEI practices began falling under scrutiny.
“So they changed the language so that the state government couldn’t put a magnifying glass on us,” he said.
Meanwhile, a Vanderbilt University academic coach at the school’s “Center for Student Wellbeing” admitted to an undercover journalist that a change of office names has not changed the DEI mission.
“At one point, you know, everybody, like different universities, were under investigation for their, like, DEI practices and stuff like that. So, that’s why I think the naming has changed… Belonging and Communities is like as close to that DEI work you can probably get. Previously, they were the Center for Social Justice and Identities. The language will be different because we have to kind of be strategic,” academic coach Ivie Carmouche said.
Another undercover video from Townhall shows Janet Roberts, who works as the Peabody Facilities Manager in Vanderbilt’s Office of the Dean, talking about how much the school relies on federal funding, so much so that the school offices no longer officially promote DEI lectures, though student-led initiatives are welcome. She also says that because “things have changed so much”, the university is “flying under the radar”.
Roberts also drags Senator Marsha Blackburn, calling her “ridiculous”.
Blackburn stated that she has talked to two of the three university presidents after the footage’s release but seemed to place more of the blame on the professors who are, “so given to DEI that they will not let it go,” than the leadership allowing or promoting these subversions of state and federal laws.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
One Response
Yup, lucifer’s dimmercrap “ran” “higher education”.