蜜桃影视

Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for 蜜桃影视 Newsletter

Five days after President Donald Trump issued a seeking to limit how schools support gender nonconforming students and teach about racism, New York City鈥檚 educational leaders have yet to issue a systemwide public response, sparking concerns from some parents and educators.

The targeting 鈥渞adical indoctrination鈥� threatens to withhold federal funding from schools that support students in gender transitions or that teach about the prevalence of racism in American life.

Some have questioned whether the order is lawful or enforceable, given the significant power of states and localities to control their own curriculum. Several and have already sent out communications to families and educators pushing back on the order.

New York鈥檚 state Education Department issued a statement Monday sent to school staffers saying the executive order is 鈥渁ntithetical鈥� to the U.S. Congress鈥� history of protecting vulnerable students through legislation. 鈥淲e denounce the intolerant rhetoric of these orders,鈥� the statement continued. 鈥淥ur children cannot thrive in an environment of chaos; they need steady and stable leadership that we will endeavor to provide.鈥�

But the response in the nation鈥檚 largest district 鈥� long a national leader in efforts to teach about racial inequity and support gender nonconforming students 鈥� has so far been more muted. The city Education Department has not sent any systemwide communication to families or educators, and it hasn鈥檛 issued specific guidance for administrators about the executive order, according to families and school staff.

Brooklyn mom Eliza Hittman, whose fifth-grader identifies as nonbinary, said she鈥檚 in multiple parent chats where there is a 鈥渢remendous amount of agitation鈥� over the lack of communication from administrators.

鈥淭he silence is alarming,鈥� Hittman said.

Asked at two recent parent town halls what the city is doing to protect LGBTQ+ students, New York City schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos reaffirmed that city schools do not tolerate any kind of hate.

鈥淥ur schools are expected to be safe spaces,鈥� she said Monday at a town hall for District 30 in Queens.

Mark Rampersant, the chief of safety and prevention partnerships, added that New York City is one of the only school districts that has hired someone overseeing ways to foster inclusion for LGBTQ students. 鈥淩egardless of what happens on the top, we remain committed to ensuring the physical and well-being of every single one of our students,鈥� he said.

But some parents and educators said the Education Department has not circulated that message widely enough at a time when fear is spreading quickly.

鈥淲hat we need from our city leadership is 鈥� to give clarity and certainty and comfort in this time of chaos,鈥� said Justin Krebs, the parent of a nonbinary child in Brooklyn鈥檚 District 15. 鈥淚nstead, we鈥檙e hearing nothing from city leadership on this front.鈥� He added that the city periodically sends notices to all families and he would 鈥渓ove to get that email鈥� reiterating the city鈥檚 protections for LGBTQ+ students.

Education Department spokesperson Nicole Bronwstein didn鈥檛 say whether the agency plans to issue a systemwide statement, but said, 鈥淲e are evaluating the Executive Order to determine if it will have any impact on New York City Public Schools.鈥�

Brownstein said, 鈥渨e remain steadfast in our commitment to fostering a safe, inclusive, and affirming environment where every student can thrive.鈥� She added that the Education Department will ensure 鈥漮ur school environment remains free from harassment, intimidation, and/or bullying, and free from discrimination of any kind.鈥�

When asked whether she was concerned about the potential loss of federal funding, Aviles-Ramos said at a town hall last week, 鈥淲e do not know what lies ahead in terms of federal funding,鈥� which makes up about $2 billion of the Education Department鈥檚 annual budget.

Some parents and teachers want stronger message of support

Jo Macellaro, a Bronx teacher who identifies as nonbinary, said the lack of a clear public statement from the city sends educators 鈥渢he message 鈥� that we don鈥檛 have your back, we鈥檙e not going to protect you.鈥�

Absent that assurance, some teachers may decide they can鈥檛 take the risk of violating the executive order, Macellaro added. The Parent-Teacher Association from P.S. 139, a Brooklyn elementary school, wrote in a Monday letter to Aviles-Ramos that it鈥檚 鈥渄isconcerting that we have not received any sort of statement from you or other city or state leadership about this.鈥�

Some parents suspect the city Education Department鈥檚 response is constrained by Mayor Eric Adams, who was indicted last fall on federal corruption charges. Trump mayor, and the U.S Department of Justice is reportedly , who has . Adams has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.

Gavin Healy, a Manhattan parent and member of the Community Education Council in District 2, said he thinks Adams鈥� political situation may be limiting the Education Department鈥檚 ability to respond. 鈥淚 think doing what鈥檚 right for the students is hostage to the mayor鈥檚 legal issues and courting of the Trump administration.鈥�

Existing policies offer strong protection for transgender students

The city Education Department鈥檚 , which , instructs staff to address students by their preferred pronouns at school. It gives schools some discretion not to inform parents when a student is socially transitioning in cases where a family doesn鈥檛 accept their gender identity and allows students to use bathrooms and join sports teams that are consistent with their gender identities.

When Manhattan鈥檚 community education council in District 2 passed a resolution last year urging the city to reconsider its sports policy for transgender students, then-Chancellor David Banks as 鈥渄espicable鈥� and reaffirmed the city鈥檚 policy.

Krebs, the Brooklyn parent of a nonbinary student, said he鈥檚 not worried about his own child鈥檚 school. But in a system this large, without clear instructions from city leadership, some schools and educators might be reluctant to run afoul of the executive order, he said. Krebs drew an analogy to reports that NYU鈥檚 Langone Hospital for some patients following a separate executive order banning the practice for people under age 19.

Some schools may 鈥渟tart complying in advance, the same way NYU Langone has,鈥� he said, 鈥渨hen a school says, 鈥榊ou know what, to be on the safe side, we鈥檙e going to stop calling kids by their pronouns.鈥欌��

Johanna Miller, director of the education policy center at the New York Civil Liberties Union, noted that Trump鈥檚 executive order charges federal agencies with developing an enforcement plan, and it鈥檚 hard to say for sure how the order would be carried out until that happens. The executive order specifically mentions practices like using students鈥� preferred pronouns, referring to students as nonbinary, and allowing them to use bathrooms aligned with their gender identities as ones that may run afoul of the order. It also targets concepts like white privilege and unconscious bias.

But Miller said that state laws preventing bullying and harassment remain on the books.

鈥淚f an educator in New York State reads this executive order from Trump and decides on their own that they鈥檙e not going to comply with New York laws, they would be legally liable in that situation for not complying with the law,鈥� she said.

Taking matters into their own hands

Some parent leaders are trying to push the city to issue a more forceful response.

Faraji Hannah-Jones, a member of the Community Education Council for District 13, told Aviles-Ramos at a town hall last week that he doesn鈥檛 鈥渢hink that this office is ready for the shitstorm that is coming.

鈥淚 want to know, does your office have a backbone on these issues?鈥� he asked.

Aviles-Ramos responded it鈥檚 鈥渧ery sad to hear there鈥檚 a lack of faith in this administration.鈥� She pointed to its work developing new curriculum including Black studies curriculum, for example.

Reached by phone Monday, Hannah-Jones said he鈥檚 been sounding the alarm about Trump鈥檚 education plans for months and has gotten little response from city officials. The Education Department is more 鈥渃oncerned about bringing us in a back room to have a conversation than having one in public,鈥� he added.

Kaliris Salas-Ramirez, a parent in East Harlem and former member of the Panel for Educational Policy, an oversight panel for the city Education Department, drafted a mock resolution opposing the executive order that she hopes local Community Education Councils will modify and adopt.

鈥淚t鈥檚 our time to raise our voices,鈥� she said.

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools. Sign up for their newsletters at . 

Did you use this article in your work?

We鈥檇 love to hear how 蜜桃影视鈥檚 reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers.