The Idaho State Board of Education met on Thursday evening to discuss draft resolutions on "Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Institutional Governance, and Freedom of Expression" on Idaho's 4-year campuses.
“We’ve heard concerns from lawmakers for several years now and from people in the communities that they represent about matters addressed in these draft resolutions,” said Board President Dr. Linda Clark. “These concerns are being expressed not only in Idaho but in many states across the nation. We will work with our institutions to collect input, and the Board will make a decision during a future Board meeting.”
The DEI resolution discussed simply affirms Idaho code prohibiting diversity statements in hiring and admissions decisions and confirms that Idaho’s institutional accreditor will not require specific structures related to DEI at any of Idaho’s public post-secondary institutions.
The resolution makes the following directives: "Institutions shall establish and maintain equality of opportunity for all students regardless of personal identity characteristics. Institutions shall ensure that no central offices, policies, procedures, or initiatives are dedicated to DEI activities. Institutions shall ensure student success centers are dedicated to all students. And institutions shall ensure that no employee or student is required to declare gender identity or preferred pronouns."
The draft resolution on governance affirms that the board can check the power of any presidents at Idaho's 4-year institutions. It also stipulates that schools are required by Board policy to conduct regular reviews of tenured faculty.
The last resolution discussed at Thursday's board meeting is the draft resolution on freedom of expression, which ultimately ensures that universities in Idaho will protect their neutrality and uphold protected speech on campus.
The board also approved a new rule that will require high school students to take a digital literacy course beginning in 2028, as well as a $163-million request from the University of Idaho to improve student housing.
