CINCINNATI — A bill to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in Ohio's K-12 schools was introduced into the Senate's Education Committee Tuesday following a national push to crush DEI programs in public and private institutions.
Senate Bill 113 bans training on DEI-related programs, bans the creation of DEI offices and forces the closure of existing DEI offices. It specifically prohibits programs currently operated under DEI offices from moving under other offices and operating under different titles.
State Senator Andy Brenner (R-District 19) sponsored the bill and spoke in its defense at Tuesday's hearing.
"DEI doesn't stand for diversity, equity and inclusion. It stands for division, exclusion and indoctrination," Brenner said.
WATCH: Ohio state senator proposes elimination of DEI in K-12 schools
Brenner argued the programs, generally designed to give historically underprivileged communities access to opportunities they may not otherwise have, are inherently harmful to kids.
"It prioritizes identity over ability, promotes racial preferences over fairness, and undermines the very ideals Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for," he said.
The bill threatens existing DEI programs like the one built by the Cincinnati Public School District.
Nancy Sullivan, Transformations CDC's director and a member of the district's Equity Roundtable, said DEI programs help broaden the educational experience kids have.
"I don't think they try to give advantages," Sullivan said. "They try to level the playing field because it has never been on a level playing field."
Most of Sullivan's work is with immigrants from Central America and their children, and she said equity and inclusion programs can help the kids learn about the American experience and American history.
"I look at the kids from whom I spend time, and many of them come from very desperate situations, and they tend to live in a silo," she said.
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Simultaneously, Sullivan said the programs can expose children to the experiences of others they may never meet.
"You can't be engaged if you only have a very narrow perspective," she said.
Legislators will need to vote SB 113 out of the Education Committee before the full Senate can consider it.
WCPO asked CPS if the district had a plan in place if DEI programs were banned, but we didn't receive a detailed response.
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