Newsman: The White House also announced that Trump signed an executive order aimed at “ending radical indoctrination in K-12 schooling,” that would prioritize and free up federal funding to expand school choice programs.
The order President Donald Trump signed Wednesday direct the Education Department to prioritize school choice programs through its discretionary grants, according to a senior White House official.
The order impacts several federal departments and directs the Education Department to prioritize school choice programs through its discretionary grants, in addition to issuing guidance to states about federal allocations to districts and schools, a senior White House official said.
“Within 60 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Education shall issue guidance regarding how States can use Federal formula funds to support K-12 educational choice initiatives,” the order says.
The order, entitled “Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families,” directs the Department of Health and Human Services to issue guidance that explains how states receiving block grants for families and children can use that money for faith-based and private institutions within the next 90 days.
It also directs Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to present a plan to Trump for how military families can use Pentagon funds to send their children to schools of their choosing, and directs the interior secretary to submit a plan for how students at Bureau of Indian Education schools can take advantage of federal funds for school choice.
CBS News first reported that Trump was expected to sign the order.
The Education Department announced Sunday that it was recognizing this week as National School Choice Week, highlighting “education freedom” by sharing options for students and families, including public schools, charter schools, private schools and home-schooling.
“School choice empowers parents and guardians to pursue the best learning environment for their children,” the department said in a release. “It allows for innovative schooling models and methods that meet the unique needs of students across the nation.”
Trump campaigned on expanding school choice programs, and during the transition period, his spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, said he believed that “school choice is the civil rights issue of our time” and that it would “ensure all families have access to a great education, no matter their ZIP code.”
The White House on Wednesday also announced that Trump signed an executive order aimed at “ending radical indoctrination in K-12 schooling.”
The order directs several Cabinet members within 90 days to “provide an Ending Indoctrination Strategy to the President” that includes eliminating funding for “illegal and discriminatory treatment and indoctrination in K-12 schools.”
The order also references the 1776 Commission, an initiative from Trump’s first term that his administration argued would reintroduce patriotism into school curricula.
