Trump issues directives on K-12 "indoctrination," school choice, and campus demonstrations
One directive also reestablishes the 1776 Commission, which Trump established during his first term to advocate for patriotic education.
TroibNews 
President Donald Trump signed three executive orders aimed at “ending indoctrination” in K-12 education, investigating campus protests, and implementing a federal school choice initiative, as announced by the administration on Wednesday.
These recent directives build on a series of actions from the beginning of Trump's second term, many of which align with an education policy agenda rooted in socially conservative values.
The executive orders outline Trump's strategy to engage directly with cultural debates while advocating for significant reforms in the U.S. education system. This approach has garnered support from congressional Republicans but faced swift backlash from teacher union leaders and advocates for campus free speech.
“President Trump is keeping his promise to protect our students, hold schools accountable, fight campus antisemitism, and empower parents to be stewards of their children’s education," House education Chair Tim Walberg stated on Wednesday. "This is a much-needed change from the previous administration, which put politics over students for the past four years."
The executive order on “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling” specifically targets federal funding for schools that the administration identifies as incorporating “gender ideology and critical race theory” in their curricula. The language used reflects state laws intended to regulate discussions of race, gender, and U.S. history in conservative-leaning regions.
"Imprinting anti-American, subversive, harmful, and false ideologies on our Nation's children not only violates longstanding anti-discrimination civil rights law in many cases, but usurps basic parental authority," the order noted.
To enforce this directive, the order initiates a significant effort involving domestic policy and law enforcement to identify and cut federal contracts and grants supporting what the administration labels as the "instruction, advancement, or promotion of gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology" in elementary and high schools, as well as in teacher training, employment, and certification programs.
Moreover, Trump instructed the attorney general to collaborate with state and local legal officials to “file appropriate actions" against educators and school officials for alleged criminal violations or behaviors seen as "unlawfully facilitating" a minor's adoption of a gender identity that does not align with their biological sex.
The order indicates that social transitions may involve various forms of counseling or treatment by school counselors, recognizing a child as "nonbinary," allowing them access to restrooms or locker rooms that match their gender identity, and enabling participation in sports and extracurricular activities "specifically designated for persons of the opposite sex."
In addition, Trump's secretaries of defense, education, and health and human services are tasked with working alongside the attorney general's office to develop an “Ending Indoctrination Strategy” within three months.
The directive also reinstates the 1776 Commission, which Trump established during his first term to promote patriotic education and counter divisive lessons related to race and slavery. The Education Department will support this commission, which will advise federal agencies on civics education at national monuments and during events celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Regarding antisemitism, Trump's executive order comes in response to a rise in antisemitic incidents on college campuses following the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas.
Earlier on Wednesday, the White House stated that the order would instruct the Justice Department and attorney general to take “immediate action” against antisemitic crimes, including vandalism and intimidation, and to investigate "anti-Jewish racism in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities." The administration also expressed intentions to deport and revoke visas for individuals identified as sympathetic to Hamas.
"It shall be the policy of the United States to combat anti-Semitism vigorously, using all available and appropriate legal tools, to prosecute, remove, or otherwise hold to account the perpetrators of unlawful anti-Semitic harassment and violence," Trump's order asserted.
Within 60 days, all federal agencies are to review and report on their criminal and civil authorities that can address antisemitism. The Education Department is also required to provide a list of civil rights complaints against institutions and K-12 schools tied to antisemitic incidents since the October 7 attacks.
In terms of school choice, Trump's order instructs the Education Department to provide guidance on how states can use federal funding to support K-12 scholarship programs, while prioritizing school choice in discretionary grants that are currently under extensive review.
Other agencies are also involved. Within 90 days, the secretaries of labor and education must examine their grant programs and recommend how they can "expand education freedom for America’s families and teachers."
The order additionally mandates the Department of Health and Human Services to offer guidance on how states might employ block grant funds for children and families to facilitate "educational alternatives to governmental entities, including private and faith-based options."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is tasked with creating a plan for how military families can utilize Defense Department funds to send their children to schools beyond the agency’s own system. Similarly, Interior Secretary nominee Doug Burgum will be required to submit a proposal on how families relying on the Bureau of Indian Education can use federal funds for their educational choices.
“This plan is a direct attack on all that parents and families hold dear," American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten remarked on Wednesday. "It’s a ham-fisted, recycled and likely illegal scheme to diminish choice and deny classrooms resources to pay for tax cuts for billionaires."
Bianca Quilantan contributed to this report.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
These recent directives build on a series of actions from the beginning of Trump's second term, many of which align with an education policy agenda rooted in socially conservative values.
The executive orders outline Trump's strategy to engage directly with cultural debates while advocating for significant reforms in the U.S. education system. This approach has garnered support from congressional Republicans but faced swift backlash from teacher union leaders and advocates for campus free speech.
“President Trump is keeping his promise to protect our students, hold schools accountable, fight campus antisemitism, and empower parents to be stewards of their children’s education," House education Chair Tim Walberg stated on Wednesday. "This is a much-needed change from the previous administration, which put politics over students for the past four years."
The executive order on “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling” specifically targets federal funding for schools that the administration identifies as incorporating “gender ideology and critical race theory” in their curricula. The language used reflects state laws intended to regulate discussions of race, gender, and U.S. history in conservative-leaning regions.
"Imprinting anti-American, subversive, harmful, and false ideologies on our Nation's children not only violates longstanding anti-discrimination civil rights law in many cases, but usurps basic parental authority," the order noted.
To enforce this directive, the order initiates a significant effort involving domestic policy and law enforcement to identify and cut federal contracts and grants supporting what the administration labels as the "instruction, advancement, or promotion of gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology" in elementary and high schools, as well as in teacher training, employment, and certification programs.
Moreover, Trump instructed the attorney general to collaborate with state and local legal officials to “file appropriate actions" against educators and school officials for alleged criminal violations or behaviors seen as "unlawfully facilitating" a minor's adoption of a gender identity that does not align with their biological sex.
The order indicates that social transitions may involve various forms of counseling or treatment by school counselors, recognizing a child as "nonbinary," allowing them access to restrooms or locker rooms that match their gender identity, and enabling participation in sports and extracurricular activities "specifically designated for persons of the opposite sex."
In addition, Trump's secretaries of defense, education, and health and human services are tasked with working alongside the attorney general's office to develop an “Ending Indoctrination Strategy” within three months.
The directive also reinstates the 1776 Commission, which Trump established during his first term to promote patriotic education and counter divisive lessons related to race and slavery. The Education Department will support this commission, which will advise federal agencies on civics education at national monuments and during events celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Regarding antisemitism, Trump's executive order comes in response to a rise in antisemitic incidents on college campuses following the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas.
Earlier on Wednesday, the White House stated that the order would instruct the Justice Department and attorney general to take “immediate action” against antisemitic crimes, including vandalism and intimidation, and to investigate "anti-Jewish racism in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities." The administration also expressed intentions to deport and revoke visas for individuals identified as sympathetic to Hamas.
"It shall be the policy of the United States to combat anti-Semitism vigorously, using all available and appropriate legal tools, to prosecute, remove, or otherwise hold to account the perpetrators of unlawful anti-Semitic harassment and violence," Trump's order asserted.
Within 60 days, all federal agencies are to review and report on their criminal and civil authorities that can address antisemitism. The Education Department is also required to provide a list of civil rights complaints against institutions and K-12 schools tied to antisemitic incidents since the October 7 attacks.
In terms of school choice, Trump's order instructs the Education Department to provide guidance on how states can use federal funding to support K-12 scholarship programs, while prioritizing school choice in discretionary grants that are currently under extensive review.
Other agencies are also involved. Within 90 days, the secretaries of labor and education must examine their grant programs and recommend how they can "expand education freedom for America’s families and teachers."
The order additionally mandates the Department of Health and Human Services to offer guidance on how states might employ block grant funds for children and families to facilitate "educational alternatives to governmental entities, including private and faith-based options."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is tasked with creating a plan for how military families can utilize Defense Department funds to send their children to schools beyond the agency’s own system. Similarly, Interior Secretary nominee Doug Burgum will be required to submit a proposal on how families relying on the Bureau of Indian Education can use federal funds for their educational choices.
“This plan is a direct attack on all that parents and families hold dear," American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten remarked on Wednesday. "It’s a ham-fisted, recycled and likely illegal scheme to diminish choice and deny classrooms resources to pay for tax cuts for billionaires."
Bianca Quilantan contributed to this report.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
