Taxpayer money is being allowed to go toward race-based programs in more than 50 Minnesota school districts, the news coming as many educators in the state have pushed leftist ideology upon students.
Those K-12 school districts in the state have adopted “Policy 425 – Staff Development and Mentoring,” which has drawn criticism, the Center Square reported Tuesday.
The outlet pointed to a report published Monday from Defending Education, a nonprofit group whose purpose is to “restore schools at all levels from activists imposing harmful agendas.”
Defending Education’s summary stated:
Over 50 Minnesota K-12 school districts have adopted “Policy 425 – Staff Development and Mentoring” (or a similar title) that includes a section which states that funds can be used in support of race-based affinity groups, other race-focused programmings, and “financial incentives for teachers of color and teachers who are American Indian.” Overall, 100+ districts were vetted for the policy, 57 appeared to either not have adopted it or included the race-based language in the policy.
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The district’s “Policy 425 – Staff Development and Mentoring” states that the “district may use staff development revenue, special grant programs established by the legislature, or another funding source” for initiatives such as “additional stipends as incentives to mentors of color or who are American Indian,” financial support for affinity groups for “teachers from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups,” and other race-focused professional development programming.
“The policy also states that to the ‘extent the school district receives a grant for any of the above purposes, it will negotiate additional retention strategies or protection from unrequested leave of absences in the beginning years of employment for teachers of color and teachers who are American Indian,’” the group continued.
Minnesota students of all ages have been targeted by social justice activism in recent years. In 2018, the Edina School District was teaching kindergartners about “white privilege.” A few years later, in 2021, a fourth grader in the Sartell-St. Stephen school district revealed that students were required to complete an “equity survey” and told not to share the questions with their parents, per Breitbart News.
Medical students at the University of Minnesota in 2022 swore an oath to fight “white supremacy, colonialism, gender binary, ableism and all forms of oppression,” the outlet reported.
In 2025, the university offered “whiteness pandemic” resources for “anti-racist parenting.”
When speaking to the Square, Rhyen Staley, who is the director of research at Defending Education, said, “These policies reflect a deeply entrenched far-left ideology throughout the entire Minnesota education system that flies in the face of longstanding jurisprudence and the historic sacrifices Civil Rights leaders and supporters have made over decades. These policies and practices are immoral and anti-American and must be stopped.”
