The Newport School Committee will review the potential repeal of its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policy at its meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 11.
The Student Excellence and Success policy mandates that the district allocate resources for curriculum, professional development, and hiring practices to better reflect the diversity of the student body.
It was originally named the “antiracism and equity policy,” but is known by many as the Newport School Committee’s manifesto on race.
The policy was approved in November 2024.
However, current Committee Chair James Dring said the policy was never reviewed by the Newport School’s attorney.
“It was passed with the understanding that it can be reviewed after it is approved and if legal has any issues with it, then we can bring the policy back and rescind and send it back to the policy subcommittee to rework,” said Dring in an email.
“Our attorney found major legal issues and recommended that we rescind and send it back to the policy subcommittee for modifications.”
In a 15-page memo to Dring, school attorney William Conley outlined several concerns regarding the policy.
It was recommended that Policy 1050 be divided into individual policies to ensure “this one policy does not violate state law, contradict related policies, and conforms with the existing collective bargaining agreements and current school budget.”
“Policy 1050 fails to take into consideration the collateral statutory, policy, contractual and budgetary implications of such requirements and mandates,” wrote Conley.
One of the concerns raised is the potential risk of losing federal funding.
Under Title VI, of the Civil Rights Act, schools receiving federal funds are prohibited from intentionally treating students differently based on race, color, or national origin, the attorney wrote.
“Despite Policy 1050 appearing to be ‘facially race-neutral,’ the required allocation of resources to certain subgroups, most of which appear to be race based, effectively treats all students of any given subgroup differently from student subgroups,” wrote Conley.
However, as news of the agenda item spreads, some are taking to social media to question its timing.
“People may be plugged in to what’s going on nationally but unaware of what’s going on in our backyard! They are attacking our children’s very existence. We are up against “loyalist” rhetoric…” wrote former city councilor Angela McCalla Lima on Facebook.
The Newport School Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m.
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