Moms For Liberty Chapter Leader Amy Rodrigues Opposes H7722 Describes DEI Teachings As A Grift That Replaces Education With Political & Ideological Leanings

“Diversity is not what many people might think it is as in ethnicity or cultural backgrounds. In this context it means a diversity of politics. Bringing in political systems that are different from the American system and can be radicalized. This would mean using critical theories of identity and focusing on that instead of learning what parents expect the children to be taught. Too many Rhode Island children can not read at grade level. DEI programs will only serve to worsen the terrible existing state of education here.

Equity is about the redistribution of shares or access. Under this bill, participants would be given equal outcomes (not equality) by adjusting shares, opportunity, access, etc. Where is the incentive for students to strive to be their best, to work hard to achieve their goals, when the system is structured to benefit certain groups while disenfranchising others?

Inclusion in this bill would mean to retool schools and academic materials to accommodate ideologies. Bringing identity politics into every program, course, subject, and policy only serves to divide and rob our children of a proper education. I’ll defer you to the 2023 RICAS scores.

DEI is a grift. Its proponents are fraudulent in what it brings in with no proof of this being beneficial to our students. In fact, there is more evidence to the contrary.

Coordinators are unfairly empowered in these programs and are paid more than they should be; unless their job is to destroy the American Education System, but that's not what the taxpayers want for our children.

This bill will turn our schools into activist centers. DEI programs fracture unity by causing division among students which has brought us to a place where we see violent images of school children beating others into critical conditions or worse.

I strongly oppose this bill and I ask that you all vote against it. “