During the Biden presidency, the DOJ invested over $100M in "restorative justice" and DEI initiatives for K-12 students.

Over $100 million in grants were given by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to promote restorative justice and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) measures during the Biden administration, according to a conservative watchdog.

On Thursday, Parents Defending Education (PDE) released a report stating that from 2021 to 2024, millions of dollars were spent on federal funding in 36 states and 946 K-12 school districts, serving over three million students to promote restorative justice practices, social emotional learning, and DEI in the classroom. The report also highlights many projects aimed at improving school climates for specific demographic groups, such as LGBTQ+ and BIPOC.

The DOJ's STOP School Violence Program offers grant money to nonprofits, school districts, and city and state governments to enhance school safety by implementing solutions that improve school climate. However, PDE contends that the DOJ's true objective is to replace exclusionary discipline with restorative practices and social emotional learning (SEL).

Social emotional learning is marketed as a tool to equip students with social skills that promote their mental health and emotional well-being. However, it has been criticized as a means to introduce controversial topics such as Critical Race Theory and Gender Theory. This has sparked a debate among parents, educators, and politicians who advocate for a strong academic focus in schools and believe that certain discussions should be left to parents' discretion at home.

PDE explains that exclusionary discipline involves removing the disruptor from the classroom, allowing the rest of the class to continue learning, while restorative practices often disrupt class time for more students, as both the offender(s) and victim(s) in a conflict are brought together to discuss what happened and "repair harm."

The report divides grants into four categories: general, DEI, consulting/certification, and hiring. For instance, consultants hired by the DOJ aimed to educate students and staff on a changing school climate and promote critical race theory, critical gender theory, and queer theory, as per PDE's analysis. Over $10 million was allocated for hiring new administrators for DEI roles such as restorative justice facilitators.

The proposed subject's training for students and staff is provided by CASEL, the International Institute for Restorative Practices, Second Step, and Courageous Conversations About Race.

The Biden administration deliberately hijacked a school safety program to fund their pet programs, as highlighted in this report, according to Nicole Neily, president and founder of PDE, who made the statement to Planet Chronicle Digital.

"Racially-segregated programming and hiring teachers based on skin color will not improve school climate, but rather increase animosity and tension among students."

Notable examples of grants awarded include $2 million from the DOJ to create safe learning environments where practices of anti-racism and anti-oppression are embedded at the Minnesota Department of Education, $1,853,070 awarded to Bowling Green State University to develop student mental health curriculum in rural and high-poverty districts, which includes activities like mindfulness meditation, yoga, and knitting circles, and $1,785,773 for Penn State University to decrease cyberbullying in Central Pennsylvania K-12 schools, providing an opportunity to meaningfully advance equity in violence prevention for communities historically underserved, marginalized, adversely affected by inequality, and disproportionately impacted by crime, violence, and victimization (People of Color (POC), women, people with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ community).

Neily stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that the grant program aims to "identify, react promptly to, and prevent acts of violence." However, she finds it "infuriating" that projects such as knitting circles were approved.

The program between Temple University and the School District of Philadelphia aims to prevent violence among at-risk youth by teaching them about community policing, trauma-informed conflict resolution, the effects of social media on conflict, anti-bias education, and restorative practices.

Reach Out West End in Upland, California received a million dollars to fund a project aimed at improving school safety in Jurupa Valley Unified School District, with a focus on LGBTQIA+ issues aligned with SB 857, mental/behavioral health, substance use prevention, and conflict mediation. Meanwhile, Ocean County in New Jersey was granted another $1,000,000 to reduce the acceptability of teasing, oppression, and all forms of violence.

The DOJ granted nearly $1 million to Milwaukee Public School's board of directors to promote racial equity through activities such as racial equity seminars and student-led focus groups to dismantle institutionalized barriers and promote inclusive school climates.

Planet Chronicle Digital reached out to the DOJ for comment.