Comment on FR Doc # 2026-12861

Public Comment on Docket ED-2026-OESE-0958-0001 Proposed Rescission of Equity Assistance Center Program Regulations I am writing as a pastor, parent, former educator with 24 years of experience, and citizen of Texas to strongly support the Department of Education’s proposal to rescind the regulations governing the Equity Assistance Center (EAC) Program. The original purpose of the Equity Assistance Centers under Title IV of the Civil Rights Act was to help schools address genuine desegregation and equal access issues. That mission has been stretched far beyond its statutory intent. Taxpayer dollars that were meant to promote equal educational opportunity have instead been used to advance contested ideological frameworks, including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programming, Critical Race Theory concepts, and gender ideology in K-12 schools. This is not neutral civil-rights work; it is political and cultural advocacy funded by the federal government. As a pastor, I am especially concerned that these ideologies directly contradict the truths of Scripture regarding human dignity, the created order of male and female, the nature of the family, and the call to treat every person as made in the image of God. Teaching children ideas that deny biological reality, redefine identity apart from God’s design, or promote division based on group identity is not merely a policy disagreement—it stands against the clear teaching of God’s Word. Federal funding should never be used to promote concepts that undermine the biblical foundation many families seek to instill in their children. Federal education funding should prioritize academic excellence, literacy, numeracy, and the transmission of knowledge that prepares students for productive citizenship. It should not underwrite the promotion of any political or ideological agenda. Parents and local communities, not distant federal centers, are best positioned to shape the values and curriculum of their children’s schools. Returning the EAC program to its narrow, original desegregation focus (or ending the program entirely if it cannot be restored to that purpose) is the right and necessary step. When I taught Curriculum & Instruction at UT-RGV, I never pushed ideology on future teachers. I taught what would make them successful in the classroom and what would help their students succeed. That kind of ideology wasn’t even a thought. As a public school educator and literacy coach, I was the teacher who invested my time and my own money so students could become all they were capable of being, without limits. I poured into them because I truly believed they were our future. For over ten years I served as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) sponsor and mentored countless students. My classroom was a haven where they could learn the truth, express themselves freely, and follow the plans God desired for them, without lies and confusion. In our meetings, students used biblical teaching, and they were uplifted and encouraged. For many of them, I was the only adult who ever shared the knowledge of Jesus with them. It was a privilege. There was simply no place for ideas that would interfere with a child’s potential or limit their ability to succeed. This kind of nonsense is a distraction the enemy uses to push students away from their true calling. As a literacy coach, I guided teachers with their best interest at heart, sticking firmly to the curriculum, teaching according to the Texas standards, and helping them move students to the next level. Nothing else was allowed to get in the way. We did not waste our time learning how to indoctrinate. I urge the Department to finalize the rescission of these regulations and to ensure that any future technical-assistance programs remain strictly limited to the statutory purposes of Title IV, supporting lawful desegregation and equal access, without becoming vehicles for ideological training or political advocacy. American families, churches, and local school boards, not federally funded equity centers, should determine the character of public education. Thank you for the opportunity to comment. Sincerely, Pastor and former educator Wharton County, Texas