By a 3-2 vote on April 9, the Nevada County Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees rejected a resolution to support all staff and students regardless of race, gender, and other categories. Nay-voting Trustees reasoned that if the resolution were approved, the Trump administration would consider it a DEI (diversity, equity, inclusivity) flag, and eliminate the district’s federal funding.
Mentioning nothing about DEI, the resolution simply offered support to all persons. It neither favored nor disfavored anyone. Indeed, as Trustee Olivia Pritchett asked, “What part of the resolution opposed the federal mandate?”
It was fear of losing funds that defeated the resolution. That was surprising, since, according to the Grass Valley Union, the district’s budget is $40 million, of which only $1.7 million comes from the feds. Afraid of losing only four percent of its funding, then, three Trustees succumbed to extortion.
The issue isn’t DEI. It’s bullying.
Like virtually all school districts, NCJUHSD firmly opposes bullying, yet three members of the board surrendered to exactly that. This message to students not only validates coercion, but shows how readily authorities can slip into hypocrisy.
In rebuking King George III, this nation’s founders literally put their lives on the line. They’d be horrified to see so many of their inheritors cowering to bullies. And so cheaply, too: Congressmembers groveling to keep their jobs; law firms willing to embrace injustice; school districts afraid of losing four percent of their funding. We’ve sadly devolved from “the home of the brave”. Passing the resolution would have made Nevada County a model for courageous school districts nationwide. Perhaps we should reconsider the vote.