DEI

The attorney general of Florida wants one of the biggest and most popular corporations in the country, the National Football League, to stop implementing what he calls race-based hiring policies, because he says it violates Florida’s Civil Rights Act. Uthmeier contacted NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Wednesday to inform him that the “Rooney Rule,” established more than 20 years ago for the league to combat the historically low number of minorities in head coaching position, is illegal under Florida law.

Those speaking out against the bill included several pastors from around the state, as well as some local elected officials.

If enacted, officials could be removed from office for violating the bill.

Returning from summer break, University of North Florida professor John White was caught off-guard by the urgent news, relayed by administrators, that the state ordered certain taboo words to be removed from all class syllabi or course descriptions in the university’s teacher-education department.

Now, school districts with programs aimed at lifting up Black students, and others, are finding themselves legally vulnerable. The White House is pursuing a reversal of the federal government’s traditional role on race and schools, going after what it calls “illegal DEI,” or diversity, equity and inclusion.

President Donald Trump’s war on diversity, equity and inclusion continued its march into Palm Beach County last week when county commissioners, mostly reluctantly, suspended programs designed to help women, minorities and other disadvantaged groups succeed.

As President Donald Trump continues to crack down on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, a complex and unpredictable landscape is emerging for prospective college students.

State higher-education leaders and university trustees have fired back at a lawsuit that alleges a 2023 law targeting diversity, equity and inclusion issues at universities violates the First Amendment.

The six professors claim the restrictions violate educators’ and students’ speech rights. They say is has "left instructors and students fearful for the future of not only education, but also free thought and democracy in Florida.”

The University of South Florida is one of many schools forced to phase out diversity, equity, and inclusion offices thanks to a new state law. But USF officials say the school will remain diverse.

It comes after Gov. DeSantis signed a bill prohibiting the use of state funds for any DEI programs, and in response to the University of Florida and other schools eliminating their programs.

The University of Florida is eliminating its chief diversity officer position, scrapping the program's staff jobs because of a new law passed last year that was pushed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.