All local Monadnock region public school districts, including Mascenic, ConVal, Jaffrey-Rindge, Wilton-Lyndeborough and Mason, as well as the Lionheart Classical Academy charter school in Peterborough, have complied with an order from the United States Department of Education to certify that they don’t utilize “diversity, equity and inclusion” or DEI practices in their hiring.

The order specifies that the districts are in compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prevents discrimination against people for their “race, color or national origin” in programs receiving federal assistance. The directive specifically calls out including “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (‘DEI’) programs to advantage one’s race over another” as impermissible, and that the “continued use of illegal DEI practices” can result in the termination of grants or federal funding, and Department of Justice litigation for violation of civil rights guarantees.

All schools were directed to indicate whether or not they believed they were in violation of Title VI, which all schools indicated they were not. Ann Forrest, superintendent of the ConVal Regional School District, supplemented that assertion with a note that pointed out the wording of the order was vague.

“I have reviewed the district’s programming and in my opinion, the district does not engage in any ‘illegal DEI activities,’ however, the reference to ‘illegal DEI’ is vague and undefined and the state and federal governments have failed to properly define the meaning of the phrase,” ConVal’s submission to the Department of Education reads.

Reuben Duncan, the superintendent of the Jaffrey-Rindge School District, said that he signed the document near the April 17 deadline, having seen other states push back on the order, but said that resistance didn’t materialize in New Hampshire. He said the district does not have a diversity, equity and inclusion policy in its hiring, and he does not foresee the order as changing anything about how the district hires its staff moving forward.

“Because our district is operating properly, I felt like we had minimal risk signing that document,” Duncan said. “It’s not going to change how we operate. We’re not going to have to make any adjustments. My concern is that this may be the first of many of these types of mandates that are going to be provided to us in order to get the resources we need at the federal level or at a New Hampshire level.”

Duncan said funding is already a difficult prospect for New Hampshire public schools, and that the “rapid changes being proposed, on a continual basis” at both the state and national level are concerning to him as a public educator.

Wilton-Lyndeborough Superintendent Peter Weaver stated, “Districts signed the document as a requirement to certify compliance otherwise risk losing federal federal financial assistance.”

Kristen Kivela, superintendent/principal of Mason Elementary School and SAU 89, said the district does not have any DEI policies in its hiring, and said that it would not impact any of the current staff or the district’s hiring processes moving forward, but declined to otherwise comment.

Mascenic Superintendent Liz Pogorzelski could not be reached for comment, but Mascenic did submit paperwork in compliance with the order which indicated that the district was in compliance with Title VI.