Are Nevada, CCSD about to clash with Trump over education?

President Donald Trump has made sweeping claims about his plans for education, from an executive order to end “radical indoctrination” in schools to pledging to abolish the U.S. Department of Education.

The Clark County School District has been steadfast in its commitment to educating and protecting all students, no matter their race, gender identity or immigration status.

“As a District, we remain committed to serving and supporting all of our children. Every student deserves our absolute best every day,” Brenda Larsen-Mitchell, the interim superintendent, said in a statement Wednesday.

Whether this policy and others are in danger remains unclear. Trump has signed executive orders banning transgender athletes from women’s sports and supporting school choice. He also allowed immigration enforcement in schools.

How these plans will affect education in Nevada vary greatly, but they may likely give more power to individual states. In the meantime, the state of Nevada is still short on answers.

Uncertain future

The NCAA changed its policy on Thursday to limit competition in women’s sports to athletes who were assigned female at birth. In response, UNLV said it would follow NCAA rules.

“UNLV has and will continue to follow federal and NCAA policies and related guidelines for its intercollegiate athletics programs,” a spokesperson for the university said.

Trump’s “radical indoctrination” executive order calls on state attorneys general and local district attorneys in their efforts to enforce the law and file appropriate actions against K-12 teachers and school officials who violate the law.

In a written statement, the Nevada Department of Education said that it was working with the Nevada Attorney General’s Office and school districts to evaluate the potential effects and determine next steps.

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford has historically pushed back against the Trump administration, including joining with other attorneys general to sue the Trump administration after it planned to freeze federal funding.

When asked about the “radical indoctrination” executive order, the office did not take a clear stance.

“As with all Executive Orders, we’re analyzing this one to ascertain whether it complies with the law and what impact it has on Nevada,” a spokesperson wrote in an email.

Meanwhile, ACLU Nevada Executive Director Athar Haseebullah is clear on the organization’s plans for the future.

“Remain confident and remain calm,” Haseebullah said. “If something like that does happen, we’re prepared to challenge that in court.”

What could impact people the most is Trump’s repeated plans to abolish the U.S. Department of Education, which would make the future of Nevada’s nearly $1 billion of federal funding for Title I, special education and federal student aid programs uncertain.

The Clark County School District, where well over half of its 385 schools receive federal Title I funding, is particularly vulnerable. In total, Nevada received nearly $161 million in Title I funding for low-income schools for the 2024-25 school year.

Gender and race policies

The school district’s gender policy 5138 is titled “addressing the rights and needs of students with diverse gender identities or expressions.” The school board adopted the policy in 2018 after a state law required it. CCSD’s policy 5139, titled Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion, prohibits discrimination based on race.

The school district declined interviews with the diversity department as well as specific questions for CCSD Board President Irene Bustamante Adams and CCSD, pointing the Review-Journal to an online statement.

“The Clark County School District is committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environment for all students, including those with diverse gender identities or expressions, at all District facilities, including but not limited to, school buildings, school buses, school grounds, and at school-sponsored activities,” CCSD said in a statement.

The district’s webpage dedicated to its Equity and Diversity Department said it is committed to “promoting equality and eliminating any form of discrimination, ensuring that all individuals have equal access to opportunities and resources.”

“In pursuit of this mission, we strive to implement policies and practices that encourage diversity and inclusion at all levels of our organization,” the department’s website reads.

Upon their election to the School Board, former Moms for Liberty members Lorena Biassotti and Lydia Dominguez both expressed a desire to look at CCSD’s gender policy, with Biassotti saying she would like to repeal it, or at least peel it back. They are unlikely to be successful given the current makeup of the board.

On Thursday, Biassotti said that her views align with those of the order, and that she did not think the School Board should oppose them.

“It would be deeply regrettable if defying this order resulted in the loss of federal funding and a failure to protect both the budget and the failure of our district,” she wrote in a message.

The conservative Moms for Liberty group in Clark County appeared energized by the executive order.

“For years, we’ve watched CCSD, the fifth largest school district in the nation, push political agendas in the classroom while ignoring parents’ concerns,” President Yadusha Jones wrote in a press release on Jan. 30. “We’ve fought against gender ideology being introduced without parental consent, race-based curriculum that divides our kids, and the lack of transparency in what’s being taught.”

The organization also called on parents to act, directing them to request full transparency from CCSD on what kids are learning, report violations, show up at school board meetings and consider alternative education options if the school was not in compliance.

Immigration

Trump also has authorized Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to enter schools.

CCSD said that if a law enforcement officer or government agent appears at a school, the staff should ask for identification and the reason for their visit.

If there is a concern with either one, staff should contact the CCSD Police Department, which it said does not enforce federal civil immigration laws.

“Children in Nevada are entitled to a free appropriate public education, irrespective of their immigration status,” the CCSD said in the statement. The district also said it “does not check any student’s immigration status.”

Shortly after Trump was elected to his first term in 2016, the Clark County School Board voted to declare district campuses as safe spaces for all students, regardless of their immigration status.

“We are attempting to reassure our students that they are safe and welcome in our schools, and that they will be protected in terms of the privacy of their situations,” Former Trustee Carolyn Edwards said at the time.

Local efforts

Trump also issued an executive order relating to school choice, which has been a divisive issue in Nevada.

In his State of the State address, Gov. Joe Lombardo introduced legislation requires provisions for school choice. Speaker Steve Yeager said in a recent interview that there’s no appetite among Democrats for discussing Opportunity Scholarships.

There is also a pre-filed bill in the Nevada Legislature that prohibits teachers from “engaging in certain activities that constitute sexual impropriety with the grooming of a pupil.”

There are already laws against inappropriate relationships with minors. Opponents of the bill worry that the vague language of the bill, which echoes similar measures in other states, is designed to target books about gender and sexuality issues.

Nicole Beer, a librarian who leads Read Freely Nevada, said her group was “deeply concerned” about the language of the bill.

“We are only concerned with the fact that this is extremely vague language,” Beer said. “We will not allow you to criminalize us.”

Haseebullah of the ACLU saw the bill as part of an “obsession” that distracted from improving public education as a whole.

“Between incompetence of the White House and CCSD’s seemingly never ending ability to engage in errors, we’re going to keep monitoring this closely,” Haseebullah said.

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ktfutts on X and @katiefutterman.bsky.social.