Official policy documents or announcements from the U.S. Department of Justice

DOJ Allocated $100M for DEI, SEL, and Restorative Justice via STOP School Violence Program

Jan 2, 2025, 11:30 PM

A recent report by Parents Defending Education (PDE) reveals that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) under President Joe Biden allocated over $100 million in grants between 2021 and 2024 to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), restorative justice, and social emotional learning (SEL) in K-12 schools. The grants, totaling $100,113,942, were distributed across 102 projects in 36 states, impacting 946 school districts and over 3 million students. The funding was part of the DOJ's STOP School Violence Program, aimed at improving school safety and climate. Specific projects included nearly $2 million to the Minnesota Department of Education for anti-racism initiatives, $1.8 million to Pennsylvania State University for anti-bullying efforts, and $986,757 to Milwaukee Public Schools for racial equity programs. Critics, including PDE, argue that the grants prioritized ideological initiatives over direct safety measures, with some projects involving consultants promoting divisive concepts such as critical race theory and critical gender theory. The report also highlighted disparities in educational outcomes in some recipient districts, raising questions about the effectiveness of such programs.