Some Head Start early childhood programs are being told by the federal government to remove a list of nearly 200 words and phrases from their funding applications or they could be denied. That's according to recently submitted court documents.
The list of words includes "accessible," "belong," "Black," "disability," "female," "minority," "trauma," "tribal" and "women."
The list was submitted on Dec. 5, as part of an ongoing lawsuit filed by Head Start programs in a handful of states – including Pennsylvania, Washington, Wisconsin and Illinois – against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The lawsuit argues that the Trump administration's ban on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in federal programs conflicts with Head Start's statutory mandate. That mandate includes, among other things, providing "linguistically and culturally appropriate" services as well as early intervention services for children with disabilities.