State Board of Education Chair Eric Davis began this month’s state board meeting on Wednesday by addressing the Trump administration’s recent blizzard of controversial executive orders — many of which have impacted schools.
A former member of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, Davis said the federal government’s recent string of orders has created confusion among public schools, students and families.
He said the state board will continue to work with the state’s legal staff to understand the impacts of those orders, and urged local school districts to work closely with their attorneys.
“We all know that a first step in educating a child is to provide a safe, stable environment for them to learn, and a safe, stable working environment for their teachers to teach," Davis said. "These executive orders have instead created confusion, anxiety and in some cases, division."
Davis didn’t specify precisely which orders he was referencing, though there have been a number in recent weeks that have prompted questions from public schools and their students and teachers.
The Trump administration recently allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to enter schools, prompting concern among immigrant communities and confusion among educators.
Other orders purportedly aiming to freeze federal funds for schools promoting “gender ideology” and vowing to divert more federal money toward school choice vouchers for private schools have also created uncertainty among public school educators and supporters.
