The Pride club at Stuttgart High School in Germany had to ensure it was led and organized by students, and that its sponsor isn’t paid, in order to continue to meet. The decision follows executive orders and Defense Department guidance calling for the elimination of diversity-related programs in the federal government. (Caidyn Barriger/Facebook)
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Extracurricular clubs disbanded following a series of executive orders targeting federal diversity initiatives are now being allowed to exist if they’re organized by students and don’t include paid volunteers, Defense Department school officials said this week.
The Black Student Union and the Pride club are among groups that have resumed activities at some Department of Defense Education Activity schools in Europe.
Some of the clubs have been rebranded, such as the former Black Student Union at Kaiserslautern High School, which is now the Student Union Club.
“If clubs are organized by students for students, they are allowed at school,” DODEA Europe spokeswoman Jessica Tackaberry said.
Educators, students and parents say organizations such as Women in STEM were among those disbanded since late January.
A 2024 poster advertises a Black History Month event sponsored by Kaiserslautern High Schools Black Student Union, which now goes by the Student Union Club. Some clubs in Defense Department schools have reorganized under new rules following executive orders and Pentagon guidance aimed at eliminating federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. (Facebook)
DODEA did not provide a full list of clubs that stopped meeting following presidential orders and Pentagon guidance to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs in government, as well as an executive order titled “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling.”
After a review of clubs across the worldwide school system, “Fewer than eight clubs in DODEA Europe that were not aligned with these guidelines have either transitioned to student-led clubs or been discontinued by student choice,” DODEA spokesman Will Griffin said in a statement Wednesday.
It wasn’t immediately known how many clubs were affected in the Pacific region and stateside within DODEA, which runs 161 schools worldwide.
Clubs must have an adult sponsor or supervisor, and some of them, including teachers and staff members, receive a stipend.
Volunteers at clubs with an affiliation along ethnic, gender or sexual orientation lines are no longer allowed to receive compensation, DODEA officials have said.
Other groups, such as the Red Cross club, are sponsored by external organizations.
One parent said that students would like to bring back the Pride club at her child’s school in Germany, but they are struggling to find a volunteer to supervise them.
“One huge issue is that all of the kids are terrified to get their teachers in trouble,” said the parent, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect her child’s identity. “They have seen how quick the school was to take down their flags, dismantle clubs and remove their books with characters like them.”
DODEA regulations provide for “equal access for student-sponsored, non-curriculum-related groups,” which requires the agency to allow all student-led groups that choose to form, as long as they conform to conduct rules.
Students may express their own views if they are respectful and don’t endanger the health and safety of others or interfere with orderly conduct, among other rules spelled out in DODEA policy.
The policies have been in effect since July 2021. They were last revised March 12, with any reference to gender struck from the guidance.
DODEA is still reviewing library books and instructional materials for compliance with the executive orders, Griffin said. DODEA has declined to say when the review is expected to be complete.
