Union official says Education Department employees were placed on leave after taking diversity training during Trump’s first term

An official in the Federation stated that dozens of employees who attended a training course for the diversity encouraged by former Minister of Education Pitsi Defus during the first administration of President Donald Trump on a paid vacation as part of Trump’s targeting of Dei programs.

Sheria Smith, President of the American Federation of local government employees 252, which represents hundreds of education department employees, NBC News said that at least 55 employees were placed on vacation from Friday evening and that it expects the number to grow when he learns more.

Among the affected workers was a public affairs specialist, civil rights lawyer, analysts of the program, the program director; Loan and employees get to ensure the needs of children with individual educational programs from schools.

A message to the affected employees obtained from NBC News said that they will continue to obtain their full salaries and benefits, and it will not be required or expected to carry out any tasks related to work or attend the office during the leave. He also said their email will be suspended.

“It seems that they are penetrating people, because they encouraged people to take these exercises … and perhaps now they use these exercises as a basis for putting them on an administrative leave,” Smith said.

Smith added that she was concerned about Trump, who said he was He wants to eliminate the Ministry of Education“The employees hope to eliminate themselves.”

“I think it is a shock and awe. They are trying to send email messages to us that are meaningless and they are very confusing, to intimidate us or make us nominate us until we stop.”

“They are trying to make the employees feel that they will shoot soon. Meanwhile, they are trying to seduce employees with an eight -month payment of the salary if they just resigned,“ Smith added. ”So it seems as if you were choosing between a positive resignation, where they say that you may get Eight -month paid salaries and benefits are shot.

Smith and Betani Holder, a spokeswoman for the US Federation of Government Employees, believes that hundreds of employees have attended the diversity change agent training. A common email message with NBC News shows that the department in 2019 was the goal of training 400 employees within the framework of this program.

In the joint email with NBC News, which was sent during the first period of Trump, the Human Resources Officer at the Ministry of Education wrote to the employees who encourage them to take a two -day voluntary course as part of the “diversity agent” training in the agency in March 2019.

“We have 25 seats available for this course. The strategic and comprehensive approach to the Ministry to equip the skills of the skills in leading the various workforce program includes a diversity change program program. It is expected that graduates of this course will be an example, as they spend some of their official duty performance activities designed to improve capacity The Ministry of Education is to attract and preserve the various workforce. This effort is necessary to maintain a clear and effective program.

“Thank you for helping us move towards achieving the goal of 400 diversity change agents at the level of shows. Your positive actions are the catalyst for our journey to achieve the goals of the diversity and integration of Ed.”

Sobod Chandra, a civil rights lawyer who represents one of the employees who was placed on a paid leave at the Ministry of Education Office for Civil Rights, told NBC News that his client was appointed to the Employment, Participation, Diversity and Inclusion Council during the first period of Trump by the political appointed, Kimberley Richie and Kenneth Marcus. Chandra said his client is a West Point graduate, an old army warrior, and a former public prosecutor who is confused about his status.

“My client, the veteran, did nothing to violate any executive matter. None of his colleagues was in a similar place. He did not even run the“ Deia ”project. Chandra said:“ He was only a member of an inactive committee that was appointed by the political appointed. For Trump from the first chapter. “

In general, dozens of workers were placed in the Ministry of Education and Energy who have not worked specifically in the qualitative roles, shares and integration on paid leave as part of Trump’s efforts to eliminate Dei’s initiatives throughout the federal government, according to Samith and Holder.

Holder said at the Ministry of Education, the union believes that there were only two employees in specific Deia roles, and both workers were placed on vacation within days of Trump’s office. Then, last Wednesday evening, other employees attended the diversity training on vacation. Then Friday evening Dozens of employees who attended the diversity training were informed by e -mail that they had been placed on leave.

Holder said separately, that at least 14 employees of the Ministry of Energy were placed on a paid vacation as part of Trump’s executive order targeting Deia programs. She said that only three employees have titles linked specifically to diversity and integration positions and that others have jobs that included tasks such as encouraging old warriors to work in the energy department as well as working with employee survey data to make work places better. Many positions were part of the “Culture Office”, but most of them did not work on Deia programs.

“People are concerned that they will lose their jobs,” Holder said. “People are angry and angry.”

A spokesman for the Ministry of Education did not immediately respond to the comment.