The Defense Department school system is reviewing materials used in classrooms and school libraries to ensure they comply with President Donald Trump's ordered ban on certain subjects – and it already has pulled books and lessons from its curricula as part of the effort.
All books in the system that feature "gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology" are to be relocated during the review while educational resources on these subjects "shall not be utilized for instruction," according to directives issued Feb. 5 by Lori Pickel, acting chief academic officer at the Department of Defense Education Activity.
Librarians and teachers were expected to remove the materials immediately, and "principals must ensure that educators are aware of and comply with this instruction," Pickel wrote.
The swift changes drew a rare protest by military family members during Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's trip this week to Stuttgart, Germany. NBC News reported Tuesday that a group of roughly two dozen base residents booed Hegseth when he arrived, chanting "DEI!" to voice their support for so-called diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Later that day, roughly 55 students walked out of Patch Middle School in Stuttgart to protest the changes under Trump's executive orders and a directive issued by Hegseth abolishing celebratory months for Black History and Women's History, among others, according to The Washington Post.
A student organizer said the protesters disagreed with the cancellations of diversity events and were concerned about the LGBTQ+ community, the Post reported.
During the past three weeks, Trump has issued dozens of executive orders, including two that address gender and diversity issues. "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government" and "Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling," abolishing recognition of transgender individuals and killing diversity initiatives across the federal government.
The DoDEA review aims to ensure compliance with those orders as well as Hegseth's, which prohibited "identity months" across the DoD.
A memo sent Feb. 7 by Chas Kelker, the DoDEA Europe region chief of staff, officially canceled cultural events, banned self-identifying pronouns from all department emails, and required that all documents and correspondence use the words "male" and "female" and refer to "sex" not "gender."
Kelker also said transgender students must use facilities appropriate for their sex at birth and are now barred from participating on sports teams opposite their biological sex.
According to Kelker, students who experience emotional or psychological distress as a result of these changes "will continue to be entitled to ... mental health services," but any counseling "must remain objective and neutral without taking action that would unlawfully facilitate the gender transition of a minor."
Federal law does not bar health professionals or parents from assisting or treating individuals below age 18 who want to transition; however, at least 20 states have laws prohibiting or limiting support.
In a letter to Patch Middle School parents Feb. 11, Assistant Principal Alexis Small said the school is committed to providing a safe environment where everyone is treated with respect and is "encouraged to help others."
"DoDEA respects our students' rights to peacefully express their opinions through speech and other means as long as it is done respectfully, does not interfere with the rights of others, and does not disrupt learning in the school," Small wrote in the memo, obtained by Military.com.
A parent with children in DoDEA schools in Germany wrote to Louis D'Angelo, the superintendent for DoDEA Europe Central District, urging him to condemn the executive order in the name of education and protecting students.
"Our children are counting on us to create a safe, welcoming and inclusive learning environment, and it’s our responsibility to deliver on that promise," wrote the parent, who gave Military.com permission to cite the letter but requested anonymity because she was concerned about retribution from base and school officials.
In addition to the review, Pickel also ordered an immediate stop to the use of several publications and references while the compliance investigation is underway.
Materials currently banned include chapters from Advanced Placement psychology textbooks on sexuality and gender; and fourth- and fifth-grade social studies lessons about "the peopling of the United States" and the effects of immigration on the country.
Pickel’s memo also banned a biography on Albert Cashier, a Civil War veteran, from elementary school reading. Cashier was born a girl in Ireland but joined the Union Army as a man, fighting at the Siege of Vicksburg and elsewhere, according to the American Battlefield Trust.
And it barred the book "Becoming Nicole," the story of a family coming to understand the gender transition of one of their children, from an independent reading list for grades six through 12.
According to an email to teachers at Wiesbaden Middle School from Principal Shawn Knudsen, the library was closed this week for book checkouts while school officials reviewed the collection for compliance with Trump's orders.
Teachers also were told to review their classroom books, including personal collections, for any that relate to gender ideology or "discriminatory equity" violations.
Hegseth did not address protesters during his visit to Stuttgart and continued on to official duties in Belgium and Poland.
During a town hall meeting with Defense Department employees at the Pentagon on Feb. 7, Hegseth stood by his directive.
"I think the single dumbest phrase in military history is 'our diversity is our strength,'" Hegseth said. "I think our strength is our unity, our strength is our shared purpose, regardless of our background, regardless of how we grew up, regardless of our gender, regardless of our race. In this department, we will treat everyone equally."
Related: Pentagon Purge of References to Women, Minorities in Docs Delays Air Force Enlisted Promotions
