“The Civil War wasn’t really about slavery. It was about states’ rights.”

I remember sitting in my 11th-grade history class, hearing those words and feeling a deep unease. That fighting to end the practice of owning human beings wasn’t reason enough for war? That didn’t sit right with me.

For context, my teacher was a white man. My high school was nearly 90% black. I can’t imagine what my black classmates were thinking as he reframed one of the darkest chapters in American history as a simple matter of political debate. 

How did it feel to hear that the genuine horror of slavery—the forced labor, the dehumanization, the generational trauma—was being reduced to a talking point about state governance? And in a history class, no less.

That moment has stuck with me for years. And today, it feels eerily relevant again.

A Portal for Reporting ‘Indoctrination’

The Trump administration unveiled a new federal website where people can report schools for teaching diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) or‌ any practice it claims applies racial or gender-based distinctions in an “indiscriminate” manner. Yet, the reporting guidelines are vague and entirely subjective.

This initiative is part of a larger effort to purge public education of what the administration calls “divisive ideologies.” Let’s be clear: this isn’t about protecting children. It’s about power and control.

The portal, hosted at EndDEI.Ed.Gov, invites parents, students, and teachers to submit complaints about DEI-related content in K-12 schools. Under Trump’s executive order, schools and universities had until February 28, 2024 to eliminate DEI programs or risk losing federal funding. 

The administration frames this as a fight against “indoctrination.” However, indoctrination is just a label that depends on who holds the power.

Would someone have reported my history teacher for downplaying the role of slavery in the Civil War? Doubtful. Meanwhile, a teacher who presents the reality—that the war was fought over the right to own human beings—is now at risk of being labeled a political agitator.

What happens when a teacher explains Jim Crow laws, redlining, or the civil rights movement? Will they be reported for making white students “uncomfortable”? Since when did teaching history become a threat that needed to be eradicated?

Why This Matters for Parents

Parents worry about screen time, but the real danger isn’t TikTok—it’s raising kids who don’t understand history or how to think critically. Our job isn’t to shield them from hard truths but to help them navigate a complex world.

Modern parents play a crucial role in ensuring their children develop critical thinking skills and the ability to engage with differing perspectives. If we want them to become informed citizens and responsible adults, we must prioritize teaching them how to analyze history, question narratives, and understand the complexities of the world around them.

The Real Risk: Erasing History

We must teach history in a developmentally sensitive way, without rewriting it to shield certain students from uncomfortable truths or neglecting the lived experiences of others. Shielding children from reality doesn’t protect them—it leaves them unprepared for the world they will inherit. And as parents, our job is to prepare them, not keep them in a bubble.

Turning Schools into Battlegrounds

This portal doesn’t exist to serve children; it exists to turn public education into a battlefield. It pressures teachers into self-censorship, forcing them to weigh the cost of truth against their livelihoods. Rather than ensuring fairness, this effort pressures teachers to conform to a narrow, approved narrative.

In 2021, Virginia launched a similar tip line to report teachers for using critical race theory in classrooms. It was ultimately shut down after being flooded with false reports and backlash from educators and the public. Now, this new federal initiative takes it a step further, creating a nationwide culture of fear where teachers must second-guess whether telling the truth will cost them their jobs.

What Parents Can Do

• Stay informed about changes in education policy and how they impact schools in your community.
• Support teachers who are committed to teaching accurate history by attending school board meetings, speaking out, or joining advocacy groups.
• Encourage open conversations with your children about history and current events, teaching them to think critically and ask questions.
• Vote in local and national elections for candidates who support inclusive and fact-based education.
• Challenge misinformation when you see it—on social media, in conversations, and in policy debates.

A 16-year-old should know what the Civil War was really about. The erasure of history should concern us far more than the feelings of some students who learn it. 

History doesn’t belong to the comfort of the powerful. It belongs to the truth. And the truth should be taught.

When we erase history, we don’t just fail our children—we fail our future. A society that hides from its past is a society that will repeat it.