President Donald Trump signed the executive order on Jan. 20, 2025 titled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” with the purpose of terminating any program deemed “including illegal DEI and ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences and activities in the Federal Government, under whatever name they appear”; however, there is confusion surrounding what this means for the students at BV, a school mandated under the aforementioned order and the resources given by these programs.
One such program is the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee whose goal is to hear and implement ideas that align with their purpose. One such member of that committee is senior Theshiona Fleming.
“I go each month, sit in and listen to whatever is on the agenda,” Fleming said. “Two months ago, we had a bunch of diversity clubs talk about how they have gotten started. I’m basically someone who’s a student listener, and if I have something to say, I can share, but I’m not there to share necessarily — I’m more of an advocate for Blue Valley.”
The committee doesn’t just hear initiatives but also works to implement their own ideas to create an inclusive environment at BV in many aspects from various author perspectives in books to hiring practices, especially here at BV where the US News & World Report shares that the demographic of white students is at 70.5%.
“They heavily focus on teaching; they’ve done one meeting where they talked about the standards for reading and trying to keep that not tied to one kind of point of view so that it makes the kids feel more welcome,” she said. “They’ve even had meetings where they talk about how they can do better with their hiring processes and getting more diverse.”
With the recent signing of the executive order, Fleming is unsure of the future the committee has. In a statement to the Tiger Print, district spokesperson Kaci Brutto said, “Blue Valley Schools remains deeply committed to fostering a school community where all students, staff, families and community members are valued and respected. We understand that recent federal changes may cause uncertainty or anxiety.
“Please know that our commitment to creating safe and inclusive environments remains steadfast, and we will continue to monitor these change
s while looking to the Kansas State Department of Education for guidance. We have caring adults in our schools who are here to support students who may have questions or want to talk about how they are feeling.”
While the message affirms the importance of sustaining an inclusive environment, it does not speak to any actions that will be taken in the future.
“There hasn’t been any talk about it; I feel like everyone knows about it, but no one says
anything,” Fleming said. “For now, it’s good. Without that committee, they wouldn’t be looking so hard [to hire diverse teachers]. They would just kind of hire whatever, and then students would be like, ‘Oh, I don’t have a teacher that looks like me.’ Without it, the little things that help students feel like they’re seen will be gone.”
Fleming hopes for the best in what the future holds, with more initiatives being utilized to help minority students.
“I would love to see more of that,” she said. “I hope in the future they’ll just look at more ways to help everyone feel included.”
