Books that were temporarily removed in February for a compliance review are stacked up on a table in the library at Ramstein High School in Germany. The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the Department of Defense Education Activity on behalf of 12 students, arguing that DODEA's removals of books and curriculum violate their First Amendment rights. (Jasmine Vu)
A group of military families filed suit this week seeking to reinstate books and curriculum removed from Defense Department schools, following Pentagon orders to sideline materials that promote diversity, equity and inclusion.
Twelve students from six families in Europe, Asia and the United States are challenging “system-wide censorship” at their schools that they say violates their First Amendment rights to receive information.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed the suit on behalf of the families Tuesday in the federal eastern district of Virginia against the Department of Defense Education Activity, DODEA Director Beth Schiavino-Narvaez and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The complaint asks the court to bring back books on topics such as slavery, Native American history, LGBTQ identities and history, and preventing sexual harassment and abuse, as well as restoration of portions of the Advanced Placement psychology curriculum, the ACLU said in a statement Tuesday.
All the plaintiffs are children of active-duty service members in pre-K to 11th grade, according to court papers. They are named by their initials and represented in proceedings by a parent or guardian.
They attend Crossroads Elementary School in Quantico, Va.; Barsanti Elementary School at Fort Campbell, Ky.; Aviano Middle High School in Aviano, Italy; and Sollars Elementary and Edgren Middle High schools in Misawa, Japan.
The litigation takes issue with three executive orders signed in late January aimed at ending “radical indoctrination” in K-12 schools, eliminating “gender ideology extremism” in the federal government and “restoring America’s fighting force.”
The Pentagon subsequently directed DODEA schools to review and remove material deemed to support DEI, end cultural observances and celebrations, and shutter or reorganize clubs affiliated with gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation.
Trump administration officials have characterized the moves as ways to eliminate discord and promote unity.
Hundreds of students have since staged walkouts to speak out against the changes.
Implementing the executive orders “without any due process or parental or professional input, is a violation of our children’s right to access information that prevents them from learning about their own histories, bodies and identities,” Natalie Tolley said in a statement provided by the ACLU on Tuesday.
Tolley is listed as a plaintiff on behalf of her three children in DODEA schools, according to the ACLU.
School officials have repeatedly said that the sidelined books and materials are still under review for compliance with the executive orders. The books in question have been removed from library shelves and made unavailable for checkout, students have reported.
DODEA, which operates 161 schools, has not released which book titles are under review.
A DODEA spokeswoman in Europe said Wednesday that the agency “does not comment on active litigation to ensure the integrity of the legal process and to respect all parties involved.”
