A top NAACP education official in Cleveland is openly honoring school board members who refuse to follow Trump’s executive order banning DEI in K-12 schools, despite warnings that noncompliance could cost districts critical federal funding.
Key Facts:
- Meryl Johnson, chair of the Cleveland NAACP education committee, announced awards for Ohio school board members defying Trump’s anti-DEI executive order.
- Johnson made the remarks during a Zoom call promoting the “Teach Truth Day of Action” set for June 7.
- Three Ohio school districts—Cincinnati, Shaker Heights, and Cleveland Heights-University Heights—are participating and receiving the “Guardian of Justice” award.
- Trump’s executive order, issued in January, bans DEI, gender ideology, and CRT in schools and ties compliance to federal funding eligibility.
- Attorney Mehek Cooke warned that defying the order could cost schools critical Title I and IDEA funds that support disadvantaged and disabled students.
The Rest of The Story:
During a recent virtual briefing, Meryl Johnson, who leads the Cleveland NAACP’s education committee, detailed plans to celebrate school board members who have refused to comply with federal directives banning DEI in public education.
“We’re calling it a finding joy teach-in,” Johnson said. “We’re going to be giving what we call Guardian of Justice Awards to school board members who stood up and said no.”
Johnson said three districts—Cincinnati, Shaker Heights, and Cleveland Heights-University Heights—will be honored at the June 7 event.
Others who refused to sign the anti-DEI pledge will receive their awards by mail.
She encouraged others to follow suit, declaring, “We have a democracy to protect and it’s our job to do that.”
The Trump administration’s directive, formally known as the “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling” executive order, prohibits any teaching of critical race theory or gender ideology and mandates investigations into violators.
The administration warned that federal funding could be pulled from non-compliant districts.
Commentary:
This situation shows the growing tension between federal authority and local school boards.
It’s no surprise that DEI activists are refusing to comply with a clear, lawful executive order intended to restore academic focus and remove political ideology from classrooms.
President Trump’s directive isn’t arbitrary—it’s aimed at protecting children from social engineering disguised as education.
It’s about returning schools to their primary purpose: teaching foundational skills like reading, writing, and math, not pushing agendas.
The NAACP’s decision to reward defiance of a federal mandate is irresponsible and dangerous.
These school boards are playing a political game with the futures of the very students they claim to care about.
Federal funding isn’t a bargaining chip; it pays for essential services in struggling communities.
What happens when the Department of Education follows through and pulls funding?
Students will suffer—not activists.
Title I and IDEA funds provide life-changing resources for disadvantaged children and those with disabilities.
Choosing virtue signaling over compliance is nothing short of negligent.
Make no mistake: this is about control.
The DEI complex wants to dictate what students think and believe, not just what they learn.
And school boards enabling this under the banner of “justice” are failing in their duty.
We expect a left-wing judge to try and block enforcement of this executive order within days.
When that happens, the Trump administration must press forward anyway.
National security and the integrity of our education system demand it.
This is not the time for hesitation or compromise.
Federal law is clear.
School boards that defy it should lose their funding, and parents must be informed.
Enough is enough—schools should educate, not indoctrinate.
The Bottom Line:
An NAACP official in Cleveland is celebrating school boards that refuse to follow Trump’s ban on DEI in schools, even as their actions risk critical federal funding.
This open defiance threatens disadvantaged students the most, as vital Title I and IDEA support could be lost.
The administration must enforce the law without compromise.
School boards playing politics with children’s futures need to be held accountable—period.
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