Feb 4, 2025 Story by: Editor
This article was updated to add information on employees being placed on leave.
The U.S. Department of Education has placed dozens of employees on paid administrative leave following President Donald J. Trump’s executive order targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in federal government, affecting workers who previously participated in diversity training initiatives.
At least 55 employees were placed on leave as of Friday January 31, with numbers expected to rise. The affected employees span various roles across the department, including civil rights attorneys, program manager analysts, loan regulators, and staff working on special education accommodations.
As part of the Trump administration’s broader initiative to eliminate diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) efforts within the federal government, dozens of Education Department employees were placed on paid administrative leave on Friday, according to two sources familiar with the situation.
Employees received official notices stating that their email accounts were being suspended, though they would continue to receive paychecks for an indefinite period, the sources told CNN.
The department’s decision follows guidance issued on January 21 by the White House’s Office of Personnel and Management (OPM), which directed agencies to notify “all employees of DEIA offices that they are being placed on paid administrative leave effective immediately as the agency takes steps to close/end all DEIA initiatives, offices and programs.” This move is part of the administration’s broader effort to dismantle DEI programs across federal agencies and reshape the workforce in alignment with President Donald Trump’s policies.
In a statement to CNN on Monday, February 3, Education Department spokesperson Madi Biedermann said the agency is “evaluating staffing in line with the commitment to prioritizing meaningful learning ahead of divisive ideology in schools and putting student outcomes above special interests.”
According to the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the union representing career officials at the department, at least 55 employees—including senior-level staffers who have worked in the agency for decades—were informed on Friday night that they had been placed on paid leave.
“Effective January 31, 2025, you will be placed on administrative leave with full pay and benefits pursuant to the President’s executive order on DEIA and further guidance from OPM,” stated the letter, as per a copy obtained by CNN. “This administrative leave is not being done for any disciplinary purpose.”
Despite not holding official DEIA-related job titles or responsibilities, the affected employees include civil rights attorneys handling student discrimination and antisemitism complaints, a grant office employee, and a member of the artificial intelligence team working on AI applications in education, the union said.
Sheria Smith, president of the union representing Department of Education career employees, told CNN that those placed on leave had participated in diversity training sessions, including a mandatory two-day seminar in 2019 during the first Trump administration “that was required for senior-level employees and strongly encouraged for others,” as well as similar training under the Biden administration. Others attended a one-day DEI lunch training or volunteered in agency committees that organized programs such as Black History Month celebrations.
The diversity training was originally encouraged under former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who sought to have 400 employees participate in the 2019 sessions, according to the union.
Given the high participation in these training programs, the union fears that even more Education Department employees could be impacted.
“We’ve filed several requests for information with the agency to get a clear understanding of what’s happening and how many employees overall will be impacted,” Smith told CNN. However, the union has yet to receive additional details.
The New York Times first reported on the letters informing Education Department employees of their placement on paid administrative leave.
Last month, the White House ordered federal agencies to place DEI personnel on administrative leave and end DEI-related hiring and contracting practices.
“The mission of the agency is stalled because this administration has forced these people to stop performing work for the American people,” Smith told CNN.
Additionally, agency leaders have been instructed to identify and report any attempts to “disguise these programs” in federal job descriptions or contract listings following the November election. Source: CNN Edition
