A Georgia public school district allegedly concealed its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and race-based policies to avoid federal repercussions, according to a report by the Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies (DFI). The City Schools of Decatur (CSD), located near Atlanta, reportedly spent over $2 million between 2017 and 2024 on DEI initiatives, staff salaries, and race-focused training.
According to the DFI report, CSD embedded DEI ideology into teacher training and curriculum, with materials that critics claim blamed "whiteness" for racial disparities and sought to "decolonize" the curriculum. The report cites instances of district leaders being focused on racial "equity" at the expense of "actual fairness."
DFI found that CSD utilized training frameworks such as "Beyond Diversity" and "Courageous Conversations About Race." The district also developed a program called Justice, Action, Diversity, and Equity for middle school students and established "anti-racist" leaders within equity teams at each school, who allegedly pressured colleagues to prioritize race in instructional decisions.
The report states that the district's promotion of its race-centric agenda changed after the Trump administration enforced measures against school systems operating allegedly discriminatory DEI offices under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Facing federal requirements to demonstrate compliance with civil rights law, CSD officials reportedly removed DEI-related policies and resources from their website.
An online database titled "Equity @ CSD," which contained DEI and Critical Race Theory-focused resources, was removed from public view. While the school board formally rescinded its equity policy in April 2025 to comply with federal standards, district leadership comments suggest the changes were symbolic. The board's vice chairman reportedly stated that the policy's removal was "not stopping us from doing the work—it’s stopping us from using the words."
DFI alleges that CSD did not abandon its DEI agenda but instead temporarily rescinded policies, later reinstated them, and quietly removed or sanitized race-based materials from its website. CSD did not respond to requests for comment.