Recently, companies across America have begun to roll back on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies.

For example, Amazon, a popular platform that sells and distributes goods to consumers globally, is one of the latest businesses to do so. Amazon joins the growing list, including Walmart, Ford, and Meta.

“I think it’s a shame that any organization or institution would roll back on DEI practices,” school counselor at Belleaire Elementary Allison Keller said. “The purpose is to enrich the culture of any institution by creating a space where different voices can all be heard.”

The consumer market is not the only thing being impacted; the federal government is as well. As of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, those working on federal DEI staff have been placed on leave. Trump, who signed executive orders on Jan. 20 of this year, accused former President Joe Biden– who encouraged programs based on diversity– of encouraging discrimination within the federal government. While DEI employees will still be given full pay, they are required to divulge whether or not they are aware of any plans to “disguise” DEI programs by using “coded” or “imprecise” language.

“I am aware of some of the rollbacks on DEI in companies and some institutes of higher education, as the term has become very controversial and politicized,” Bellevue Public Schools (BPS) Assistant Superintendent Robert Moore said.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is an initiative that strives to create environments within communities that are welcoming to all walks of life. It is not a new thing. Recall from history class the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s or the more recent movements of Black Lives Matter. DEI expands on those motions in an effort to stimulate diversity within workplaces and schools. In fact, BPS has their own DEI Committee, spearheaded by Moore. As of right now, any administrative regulations for the district-such as ones for transgender students-directly affected by the Executive Orders by the Trump Administration will remain in place until the School Board addresses them.

“The BPS diversity committee was started in the Fall of 2020 due to a request by staff members concerned about the various national [events] and the impact these events had on our local communities and schools,” Moore said. “They believed that there was a need to increase conversations around meeting the needs of the diverse community and how these events could impact our students and schools.”

For most of his career, Moore has worked in schools where much of the student population was composed of students of color and lower socioeconomic standing. The committee was originally meant to analyze the current school system to determine the level of access to opportunities for all students within the district. Upon receiving data, they began to suggest improvements where necessary. Those recommendations– which are now included in the district 2024-29 Strategic Plan– shifted the main focus of the committee from finding issues to monitoring the success in meeting the needs of all students.

“As public school educators, we first and foremost serve the students and families in our community,” Moore said. “Given the diversity in our student body, it is important that we do everything in our power to ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn and the support they need to achieve their goals.”

Some critics of DEI policies believe that it encourages discrimination, and that practices based on topics such as racial and gender identity are unfair and that the same opportunities should be afforded to everyone, disregarding personal orientations. Others believe DEI is ineffective or that issues involving diversity and inclusion are not the most important issues facing America today. DEI programs were also thought to force employers to hire under qualified workers all in the name of inclusivity.

“They’re not beneficial if you exclude one race because you want to do something for another because it divides people,” Bill Ross, a substitute for Bellevue Public Schools, said. “That is actually harmful to the whole process. I think that when you implement something, you have to consider very carefully how you’re doing it, because in the end, if you do it badly, it will then blow up and the whole thing will go away.”

Keller is also a member of the DEI Committee. As her position of counselor, her job is to connect and bond with students of all backgrounds.

“Our community in Bellevue is becoming increasingly diverse in a variety of ways,” Keller said. “It would be impossible for us to meet the needs of our community if we disregard minority populations. My hope is that even students who make up less than one percent of the population feel a sense of belonging in our schools. If we only care about the people whose values align with our own then it creates an echo chamber devoid of creativity and forward momentum.”