[Federalist] The Indiana Family Institute (IFI) performed a comprehensive audit that details lingering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) frameworks still in place across the Indiana Public School system."Unfortunately, modern DEI practices undermine principles of true diversity, inclusion, and equality by emphasizing division, group identity, and unequal treatment in the name of equity and inclusion. Rather than fostering unity, DEI frameworks often encourage resentment, categorize individuals as oppressors or the oppressed, and shift focus away from merit, personal responsibility, and shared citizenship," wrote IFI Executive Director Ryan McCann in the audit’s foreword.
Capitulating to gang recruitment behavior.
In January 2025, Gov. Mike Braun issued Executive Order 25-14, "which eliminated DEI initiatives across Indiana’s state government. The order directed agencies to replace DEI initiatives with ’Merit, Excellence, and Innovation’ (MEI)," as noted in the audit.
Indiana legislators also passed Senate Enrolled Act (SEA) 289, which strictly "prohibit[s] schools and public institutions from requiring training or lessons" in DEI. Under state and federal legislation, all Indiana public school corporations and charter school networks must certify that they are not operating unlawful DEI programs or using federal funds for identity-based training, staffing, or programming.
The legislation looked like a step in the right direction for many concerned families who had voiced their concerns about the DEI ideologies present in their children’s curriculum. However, while working in the Indiana attorney general’s office, Corrine Youngs heard reports from several parents that DEI was still hiding in plain sight at their local schools.
"Most parents did not realize this was going on until Covid. I don’t think people realized what their kids were learning until they were listening to it during lockdown," Youngs told The Federalist. "I think parents wanted to see if the executive orders would actually effectively strip DEI out of schools, and from this audit you can see that it has not."
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