A policy concerning Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) was sent back to committee and a review of “radical indoctrination” curriculum has been tabled by the Northampton Area School District Board of Education.

The two items were added to the agenda of the Feb. 10 NASD school board meeting as an addendum in light of executive orders by President Donald Trump.

The NASD board is believed to be the first Lehigh Valley school board to address two of the executive orders by the president.

On Jan. 20, the White House released executive order “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” which called for the “termination of all discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI and diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences and activities in the federal government.”

In accordance with the executive order, the U.S. Department of Education issued a news release Jan. 23 titled “U.S. Department of Education Takes Action to Eliminate DEI” and listed its actions. These include the dissolution of the department’s Diversity and Inclusion Council, dissolution of the Employee Engagement Diversity Equity Inclusion Accessibility Council within the Office for Civil Rights, cancellation of ongoing DEI training and service contracts totaling more than $2.6 million, withdrawal of the department’s equity action plan, placement of career department staff tasked with implementing the previous administration’s DEI initiatives on paid administrative leave and identification for removal of more than 200 Web pages from the department’s website, which housed DEI resources and encouraged schools and institutions of higher education to promote or endorse what was called harmful ideological programs.

The NASD school board voted 8-1 at the Feb. 10 meeting to approve policy 832 regarding educational equity and requested the board’s policy committee to write a new policy and present it to the board. Policy 832, adopted by the board March 8, 2021, set up an educational equity action plan. The six-page policy 832 can be read and downloaded on the NASD website under the Feb. 10 agenda at nasdschools.org.

“The spirit of my motion is to direct the policy committee to create a new policy,” said school Director Doug Vaughn, who made the motion to amend the agenda item concerning policy 832.

The agenda item called for removal of policy 832. Vaughn, with his motion seconded by school Director John Becker, added the amendment for the school board’s policy committee to write a new policy. School Director Ross Makary cast the vote against the measure.

“The policy listed is not required. It’s your option,” district solicitor Atty. Eric J. Filer, of King Spry Herman Freund and Faul, told school directors before the vote.

The NASD school board voted 9-0 at the Feb. 10 meeting to approve the tabling of a request for an extensive review of curriculum. The request would authorize the administration to do an extensive review of all curriculum and remove all items including lessons, work sheets, practices, games, table top examples, discussions, etc., that relate to the prohibited topics discussed in the executive orders “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,” signed Jan. 29, 2025, and “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” signed Jan. 20, 2025.

On Jan. 21, Trump stated, “Within 120 days of this order, the attorney general and the secretary of education shall jointly issue guidance to all state and local educational agencies that receive federal funds, as well as all institutions of higher education that receive federal grants or participate in the federal student loan assistance program under Title IV of the Higher Education Act 20.”

That would put the issuance of guidance to approximately the end of April.

“I would say you can safely table [the request for curriculum review],” Filer said to school directors.

The board votes took place after a total of approximately one hour of discussion.

“I don’t see why we should overreact because of what’s going on in D.C.,” school Director Dr. Michael Baird said. “Let it play out in the courts. They (the federal government) don’t necessarily have jurisdiction over the Northampton Area School District.”

“So there are no guidelines? We’re voting on something that we don’t know what it is about,” Becker said.

School Director Kim Bretzik asked if they will be responsible for any of the district contractors violating the law. Filer said he would need more details about what specific contractors she was referring to before answering the question.

More questions arose when Vaughn asked how many people would be needed and how long it would take to do the review. School Director Joshua Harris also asked for a timeline.

NASD Superintendent of Schools Joseph S. Kovalchik said they cannot give specific answers yet because they are not sure exactly what they are looking for. Dr. Michelle Schoeneberger, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, said they need more specifics before being able to make a plan.

“Our district receives funds from the federal government,” board President Kristin Soldridge said. “At this point, I fear this policy is going to put us in jeopardy of losing federal funding. I’d rather be proactive than reactive.”

NASD received $4.7 million in federal funding for the $128.7 million budget for the 2024-25 school year, according to NASD Business Administrator Craig Neiman.

The board will meet 6:30 p.m. March 10 in the Northampton Area High School auditorium, 1619 Laubach Ave.