Carlsbad Unified School District passes ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging’ plan

CARLSBAD, Calif. — The Carlsbad Unified school board voted to approve a plan that would incorporate more diversity and inclusion in the district.

Hundreds of people have attended several meetings around this topic, both for and against the “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging” or “DEIB” plan.

At Wednesday’s board meeting, there were nearly 70 speakers on the agenda item.

“This is absurd, this is a circus. Equity, inclusion and diversity is how we move this country forward,” Tom Jansen said.

The plan for diversity and inclusion at Carlsbad Unified had been discussed for more than two years.

In February, the CUSD Board of Trustees approved goals and success indicators for the DEIB Strategic Plan. In April a survey was sent out to students, parents, and staff in grades 6-12 on related topics. In June a series of townhall meetings began to solicit feedback from the public, which drew both support and concern.

“It can and will be used as an ideological trojan horse to bring in a radical worldview that’s obsessed with gender, race and sexuality,” Kyle Hawkins said. 

“These stories of discrimination, I need to be here to be a voice for those who can’t speak. We need to get to the plan passed because it’s already been delayed for over 2.5 years,” Kayley Teagle said.

Some of the biggest pushback on the plan has come from Carlsbad’s Mission Church members. They have demanded full transparency of curriculum, the protection of parental rights and no sexual or gender ideology to be taught.

“We want to make sure that K-12 kids are protected from certain sexual conversations, from certain materials that may be inappropriate or sexually aggressive toward children,” said JC Cooper, Associate Pastor at The Mission Church.

The district has a three-year strategic plan for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, titled Forward Together, available on the district website.

Some board members were hesitant to pass the DEIB plan due to the amount of division it had appeared to create within the community, but ultimately they did vote 4-1 to implement it.