Idaho’s State Board of Education has unveiled a proposed policy banning diversity statements as a condition of hiring a job applicant.
The policy will only apply to the state’s colleges and universities. It’s been in the works since April when state board members directed staff to draft it.
The move followed state lawmakers bashing the use of mandatory diversity statements as a condition of the hiring process throughout the past legislative session.
Patrick Coulson, the board’s chief financial officer, outlined the goals of the policy at Wednesday morning’s board meeting.
“Institutions shall create a welcoming and dynamic learning environment of belonging by administrators, faculty, and staff who are invested in the success of every student,” Coulson said, reading from the policy.
As part of that, colleges and universities cannot require a job applicant to turn in a written diversity statement as a condition of the hiring process.
“Overall, this proposal reaffirms the board’s goal to continue to create and nurture a safe and welcoming and dynamic learning environment,” he said.
As previously reported by Boise State Public Radio, faculty members at other colleges and universities across the country have raised First Amendment concerns about mandatory diversity statements.
A 2022 survey by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a free speech nonprofit, found faculty at four-year higher ed institutes in the U.S. are evenly split on the question of whether diversity statements are a justifiable requirement.
Board members unanimously accepted the draft, but it still needs final approval before being adopted.
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