The ACLU of Virginia, American Civil Liberties Union, and ACLU of Kentucky filed suit against the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) in the Eastern District of Virginia on behalf of 12 students that attend DoDEA schools after DoDEA removed books and changed curricular in violation of the students' First Amendment rights.
The students are from six different families, ranging in age from pre-Kindergarten to 11th grade, and are the children of active duty servicemembers stationed in Virginia, Kentucky, Italy, and Japan. Following several executive orders from President Doanld Trump, the students' schools systemically removed books, altered curricula, and canceled events that the government has accused of promoting "gender ideology" or "divisive equity ideology" -- including materials about slavery, Native American history, LGBTQ identities and history, and preventing sexual harassment and abuse, as well as portions of the Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology curriculum.
The three executive orders signed by President Trump in January that led to these removals are: Executive Order (EO) 14168 titled "Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government”; EO 14185 titled “Restoring America’s Fighting Force”; and EO 14190 titled “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling.”
DoDEA operates 161 schools across 11 countries, seven states, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
Members of military families have the same First Amendment rights as all students. DoDEA's book removals and curricular changes are in violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The complaint asks the court to bar the administration from enforcing EOs 14168, 14185, and 14190 in DoDEA schools and to reinstate the books and curricula removed by DoDEA to comply with EOs 14168, 14185, and 14190.
Related News Coverage:
Families suing DOD over alleged whitewashing of curriculum at military schools | NBC4 Washington
ACLU sues Defense Department school system over banning race- and gender-related books | Associated Press
‘Whitewashing’ the curriculum: ACLU takes aim at Department of Defense schools | Virginia Mercury
A.C.L.U. Sues Defense Department Schools Over Book Bans | New York Times
Students at Pentagon schools sue Hegseth over book bans on race and gender | The Guardian
