Trump signs executive order on 'commonsense' school discipline policies, artificial intelligence, foreign gifts, and HBCUs

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump added to the mountain of executive orders he has issued in his second term, with orders on "commonplace" school discipline, artificial intelligence, and other policies.

The order on school discipline ended policies imposed in 2014 that "effectively required schools to discriminate on the basis of race by imposing discipline based on racial characteristics, rather than on objective behavior alone."

'Disciplinary decisions should be based solely on students’ behavior and actions.'

The order cited a 2018 report from the Federal Commission on School Safety that said schools merely covered up bad student behavior and kept students in class, putting all students at risk. The policies were rescinded that year but then implemented again in 2023, resulting in an increase in school violence and classroom disorder.

Trump's order called on schools to discipline students based purely on their behavior, with no regard to racial disparities as a result of disciplinary action.

“President Trump is taking historic and commonsense action to boost school safety standards. Disciplinary decisions should be based solely on students’ behavior and actions,” said Linda McMahon, the U.S. education secretary.

Another order called for students to receive instruction in the utilization of artificial intelligence.

“The basic idea of this executive order is to ensure that we properly train the workforce of the future by ensuring that school children, young Americans, are adequately trained in AI tools, so that they can be competitive in the economy years from now into the future, as AI becomes a bigger and bigger deal,” said White House staff secretary Will Scharf.

Another order aimed to cut out diversity, equity, and inclusion policies from college accreditation and return to focusing on merit and performance.

Other orders will provide aid to historically black colleges and universities, as well as highlight a law about disclosures on foreign gifts.

“The Department will work with the Initiative and HBCUs to expand partnerships and share best practices for institutions to become hubs of opportunity and economic engines for local industries and employers,” McMahon said.

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