Mike Rogers - Chairman of the Armed Services Committee | Official U.S. House headshot
Mike Rogers - Chairman of the Armed Services Committee | Official U.S. House headshot
The Federalist
By Max Eden and Amy Haywood
May 30, 2024
Among the national security concerns raised during the Biden administration, one less discussed is the ideological direction of schools serving children of U.S. military personnel.
The outgoing director of the Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) schools appointed a chief of "diversity, equity, and inclusion" (DEI) with a controversial public record. DODEA operates 160 schools on military bases worldwide, educating over 69,000 children. The organization has been noted for its policies on gender transitions and for celebrating a pro-Hamas activist on social media.
Republicans in Congress have responded to these developments. Following reports by the Claremont Institute and Open the Books about "equity training" for teachers, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., introduced a Servicemember Parents Bill of Rights to the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This bill aimed to address concerns over DEI practices within DODEA.
Despite appearances that DODEA had disbanded its DEI department after eliminating the chief diversity officer position, Open the Books reported that school chief Tom Brady established a secretive "DEI Steering Committee." Public records requests regarding this committee have been denied, as has congressional inquiry led by Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind.
Rep. Banks sponsored an amendment to dismantle this committee in the fiscal 2025 NDAA passed out of committee last Wednesday. Additionally, he proposed a pilot school choice program for 30 students at the DODEA school in Bahrain due to facility issues and alleged support for an antisemitic activist.
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