Students, ACLU sue over removal of ‘woke’ books from military schools

Twelve students sued the Trump administration Tuesday over the removal of gender- and race-related books from public schools operated by the federal government.

In a federal lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Virginia, 12 students represented by the American Civil Liberties Union say President Trump’s executive orders on maintaining military readiness, protecting women, banning “woke” gender ideology and ending radical indoctrination in schools represent a violation of their First Amendment rights.

They say the Department of Defense Education Activity schools that educate children of the military and government workers on military bases have removed books with curriculum related to material on Native American history, slavery, LGBTQ identity, as well as sexual abuse and harassment.

“Public school districts cannot suppress educationally valuable books and materials about race and gender in public schools simply because a new presidential administration finds certain viewpoints on those topics to be politically incorrect,” the complaint read.

They’re asking the court to rule that the executive orders run afoul of the students’ First Amendment rights and to ban the administration from implementing them.

The schools at issue provide education from pre-K through high school to military personnels’ children and for employees of the Department of Defense.

It is estimated they educate roughly 67,000 children in 161 schools.

“Students in DoDEA schools, though they are members of military families, have the same First Amendment rights as all students,” said Emerson Sykes, an attorney with the ACLU.

“Like everyone else, they deserve classrooms where they are free to read, speak, and learn about themselves, their neighbors, and the world around them. These schools are some of the most diverse and high achieving in the nation, making it particularly insulting to strip their shelves of diverse books and erase women, LGBTQ people, and people of color from the curriculum to serve a political goal. Our clients deserve better, and the First Amendment demands it.” 
 
A spokesperson from the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.