{"id":3297,"date":"2026-06-26T14:04:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T14:04:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3297"},"modified":"2026-06-26T14:04:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T14:04:28","slug":"dei-now-banned-in-nc-public-schools-will-it-have-a-chilling-effect-on-teachers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3297","title":{"rendered":"DEI now banned in NC public schools. Will it have a \u2018chilling\u2019 effect on teachers?"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

North Carolina public schools are raising concerns about how they\u2019ll be affected by a new state law that bans diversity, equity and inclusion programming in K-12 public schools.<\/p>\n

Read more Caleb Wilson has eyes set on being \u2018better than Mike\u2019 with Chicago Bulls<\/a><\/p>\n

Senate Bill 227<\/a> became law after state House Republicans overrode Democratic Gov. Josh Stein\u2019s veto on Wednesday, The News & Observer previously reported<\/a>. The Senate voted to override the veto earlier. The new law declares DEI to be \u201cpromoting discriminatory practices or divisive concepts\u201d \u2014 echoing efforts by the Trump administration to ban DEI in public and private spaces<\/a><\/p>\n

The new law goes into effect immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe seek to provide each and every student what they need to be successful, and we strive to serve them in safe and affirming environments,\u201d Democratic State Superintendent Mo Green and State Board of Education chair Eric Davis said in a joint statement Thursday<\/a>. \u201cWith that context, Senate Bill 227, Eliminating \u2018DEI\u2019 in Public Education, raises concerns about what it could mean for those very qualities that make North Carolina\u2019s public schools strong. \u201c<\/p>\n

The Wake County school system and Durham Public Schools issued statements Thursday saying they\u2019re weighing what changes they\u2019ll need to make to comply with the new law.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will carefully review and discuss this matter with our Board and legal counsel prior to making any decisions,\u201d said Durham Superintendent Anthony Lewis.<\/p>\n

The new law bans the promotion of 12 \u201cdivisive concepts,\u201d including the notions that a person\u2019s race or sex makes them \u201cinherently superior\u201d to others, makes them \u201cinherently racist, sexist, or oppressive,\u201d determines their \u201cmoral character,\u201d or makes them responsible \u201cfor actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex.\u201d<\/p>\n

The law would ban teaching the idea of \u201cwhite privilege\u201d \u2014 that white people have unfair advantages over others solely due to their race.<\/p>\n

Schools are now required to eliminate DEI offices and are barred from providing training on the \u201cdivisive concepts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senate Bill 227 was among four vetoes that the House overrode on Wednesday. Other veto overrides ban DEI in higher education, bar local and state governments from using funds to promote DEI, and require further law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration agents.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy overriding four more of Gov. Stein\u2019s vetoes today, we\u2019re improving public safety and ending taxpayer-funded, divisive DEI policies for good,\u201d House Speaker Destin Hall said in a statement. \u201cOnce again, the House has stood firm and ensured Governor Stein and his liberal agenda won\u2019t get in the way of common sense legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Deanna Townsend-Smith, senior director of the Public School Forum of North Carolina\u2019s Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity & Opportunity, countered that the bills would result in \u201cchilling truthful teaching and learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Teen was killed by stepmom who used her 2 sons to hide evidence, NC sheriff says<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe combined effects of these bills is not just simply elimination of terminology,\u201d Townsend-Smith said in a statement. \u201cIt is the narrowing of truth, professional judgment from highly trained and competent individuals, institutional capacity, and student belonging at a time when NC should be expanding each of these four areas; especially if we are to retain any ranking with the workforce traction we have seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Example of practices that would now appear to be barred under the new law include:<\/p>\n

The Wake County school system said in a statement Thursday that it\u2019s reviewing the legislation in consultation with its legal counsel and the state Department of Public Instruction.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we complete our review of the legislation and receive additional implementation guidance, we will work through any required changes and provide updates to employees, families, and the community as appropriate,\u201d Wake said in its statement.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s less clear is the effect the new law could have on how teachers discuss controversial topics. For instance, the law prohibits teaching that \u201cthe United States was created by members of a particular race or sex for the purpose of oppressing members of another race or sex.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teachers are prohibited from providing instruction that \u201cany individual, solely by virtue of his or her race or sex, should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress.\u201d<\/p>\n

The law specifically says it won\u2019t limit the impartial discussion of controversial aspects of history or the impartial discussion of the historical oppression of a particular group of people. But Democratic lawmakers had questioned how the legislation would impact things such as teaching about slavery.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe the law leaves educators with genuine questions about how to apply it, since, for example, it restricts instruction on certain concepts while expressly and appropriately preserving the teaching of difficult history, including the historical oppression of people based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity and religion,\u201d Green and Davis said in their statement.<\/p>\n

The North Carolina Association of Educators accused state lawmakers of choosing politics over students. Tamika Walker Kelly, the president of NCAE, said the new law sends the message that some students don\u2019t belong here.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur public schools are not political battlegrounds,\u201d Walker Kelly said in a statement. \u201cThey are community institutions built to serve every family. When the legislature moves to erase the values that make schools inclusive, they aren\u2019t protecting students \u2014 they\u2019re harming them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more North Carolina schools rank among most economically segregated. Does it matter?<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published June 25, 2026 at 4:39 PM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

North Carolina's new law bans DEI offices and training in K-12, limits 'divisive concepts,' and raises questions about how teachers can teach difficult history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nDEI now banned in NC public schools. 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