Faculty and students weigh in on executive order targeting ‘radical indoctrination’ in K–12 public schools

March 31, 2026

By Isa Estrella
Staff Writer

President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling” on Jan. 29. The order aims to cut federal funding for schools promoting concepts including “gender ideology” and “discriminatory question ideology.” 

The administration defines this content as related to anti-American perspectives, critical race theory and gender ideology. This order promotes “patriotic education” by removing topics considered divisive from classroom instruction. It also prohibits public schools from encouraging, counseling or facilitating social transitions, such as changing pronouns or names of minor students.

The order reinforces parental rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, which ensure transparency in teachers’ curricula and that parents/guardians know what is being taught to their kids.   

Sophomore Jack Quick said, despite the executive order, he thinks history should be taught from many vantage points.

“Classrooms should include multiple perspectives on historical and contemporary events so that students can understand a range of viewpoints on such concepts and come to their own conclusions without biases and naïvety,” Quick said.

He said teachers should encourage critical thinking when addressing political ideology in lessons.

“It should be the school’s job to remain neutral and present multiple views to the students, as well as facts about it, so that they can come to their own conclusions,” Quick said.

Similarly, junior Aiden Nguyen said schools should articulate lessons that allow students to form their own opinions.

“It would be very beneficial to include multiple perspectives on history and especially current events. It’s impossible to eliminate human bias from everything that is taught, but even offering other viewpoints can help students develop their own opinions,” Nguyen said.

“It should be the school’s job to remain neutral and present multiple views to the students, as well as facts about it, so that they can come to their own conclusions.”

He said school employees should teach students that no opinion is wrong. 

“We all come from different statuses and norms. Everyone develops differently from experiences over time, to the point where that is what mainly shapes you. At the end of the day, students should know we’re all humans with different, unique experiences, where nobody is unwelcome to express themselves freely,” Nguyen said.

History teacher Mr. Tessalone said rather than promoting a one-sided view of the past, it is important to present a complete and honest account of events.

“With American history and any country’s history, you have to teach the good and the bad,” Tessalone said. “[Teachers] talk about American innovations… The fact that we helped liberate France and Western Europe from fascism, and at the same time, we jailed over a hundred thousand Japanese Americans during World War II,” said Tessalone.

Tessalone said the reality of daily instruction leaves little room for indoctrination.

“In terms of indoctrination in schools, I think sometimes people don’t actually understand the way schools run and how they actually are. Some teachers struggle for students to bring a pencil to class, so the idea of engaging in high-level indoctrination of students is probably, according to my opinion, not happening,” said Tessalone.