Last week, the Chief Equity Officer for Jefferson County Public Schools, Dr. John Marshall, made a post on the social media platform X which warned black students that they should not expect fair treatment from most white people. He said, “Regardless of the rooms, meetings, classes, etc., you’re in, know THE MAJORITY of whites could care less about you & have no issues harming you.”
It’s unconscionable that Marshall would dedicate his career to promoting division among the students and teachers of Jefferson County. Public schools are supposed to unify. But statements like this—informed by DEI ideology—do the opposite. What does this statement say to his white peers on staff at JCPS? Marshall is paid $200,000 per year, and it adds insult to injury that public tax dollars are being used to divide.
Marshall is not the only JCPS employee dedicated to spreading DEI-fueled division through the district. CPC is investigating Marshall’s Diversity, Equity, and Poverty Department and found that the district spends millions of dollars each year on DEI programs in every public school in Louisville. Their 2024 budget was over $6 million. The DEP Department also promotes LGBT ideology, which is what the state legislature restricted in 2023.
Under the direction of the DEP Department, every school is required to have a Racial Equity Committee which produces a Racial Equity Plan every year. For example, Barret Traditional Middle School’s 2024-25 REP forecasts the wide implementation of so-called “equitable grading.” The goal is to modify grades based on external characteristics. Treating students differently based on their ethnicity neither reflects how they’re performing nor equips them for a better future.
The DEP Department also spends valuable time and funds producing DEI resources. Envision Equity is a monthly magazine which highlights DEI initiatives around the district. Articles in the November 2024 “Rainbow Edition” both endorse the Biden Administration’s Title IX regulations—which undermined protections for biological females in public schools—and criticize the Kentucky General Assembly for “targeting transgender students” in two bills: Senate Bill 150 and Senate Bill 5. One article suggests ways in which JCPS employees can creatively follow these laws while undermining legislators’ intentions by still promoting LGBT ideology among students.
Since so much time is spent promoting radical ideology, less time is spent teaching subjects that parents expect their kids to learn. As a result, students in Louisville public schools are failing. Over 75% of JCPS students are less than proficient in reading and math. The district suffers from a shortage of certified teachers. Further, a district-wide audit after the August 2023 bussing debacle revealed that JCPS has a culture with fear of “retribution for speaking out” and a lack of both training and leadership. It’s no wonder that state legislators in Frankfort have proposed breaking up JCPS into smaller districts to create more accountability.
Public schools which treat students differently based on external characteristics are foreign to the American ideal. Our nation was not founded on identity politics. It was founded on the ideal that all men are created equal with dignity and value. Our system of government judges men and women by the content of their character, not their skin color. DEI undermines this American ideal, dividing us based on externals.
DEI also undermines American meritocracy. Progress is defined by accomplishment and achievement, not biased leadership which forces certain outcomes based on external characteristics. While the DEP Department claims to fight racism, it actually fosters it. Consider this hypothetical: if white students began to underperform minorities, would the DEP Department give them special treatment?
In light of Marshall’s inflammatory post, it is time to expel JCPS’ DEP Department. Its work undermines the mission of public schools, and the ugly fruit is evident. The state legislature should implement a course correction for JCPS when it convenes in seven short weeks if the school board ignores calls to discipline Marshall.