A recent investigation reveals that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has invested over $100 million in school-based programs focusing on restorative justice, social-emotional learning, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) over the past four years. Parents Defending Education (PDE), a conservative education advocacy group, published the report detailing these findings. The report indicates that between 2021 and 2024, the DOJ distributed over $100 million in grants to more than 900 school districts across 36 states.
The allocated funds were distributed across various initiatives. Approximately $45 million was earmarked for projects involving restorative practices or social-emotional learning, while $32 million supported programs addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion, or aimed at enhancing outcomes for specific demographic groups. Nearly $20 million was allocated to consultant certifications, with some of these consultants promoting concepts such as critical race theory, critical gender theory, and queer theory. An additional $10 million was designated for hiring new administrative staff, including restorative justice facilitators.
The report highlighted specific examples, such as nearly $2 million granted to the Minnesota Department of Education to foster "safe learning environments" incorporating anti-racism and anti-oppression practices. Ocean County, New Jersey, received nearly $1 million to address violence, with the grant equating "teasing" with "oppression and all forms of violence."
The PDE report also scrutinized the DOJ's STOP School Violence Program, suggesting it prioritizes "improving school climate" by shifting from disciplinary measures to social-emotional learning. PDE argues that this approach often disrupts learning for more students, as both the offending and offended parties are brought together to discuss incidents and "repair harm," rather than simply removing disruptive individuals from the classroom. PDE acknowledges that the reported figures are based on available data and the actual amount spent is likely higher. PDE president Nicole Neily criticized the DOJ's spending priorities, suggesting they prioritized ideology over student safety.
This report follows a similar PDE investigation last month which revealed that the Department of Education had allocated over $1 billion to DEI initiatives since 2021, encompassing areas such as hiring, programming, and mental health training.
