Dozens of Education Dept. Employees Placed on Leave Amid DEI Crackdown

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Dozens of U.S. Department of Education employees were placed on paid administrative leave Friday, sparking confusion and concern among staff who believe the move is tied to their participation in voluntary diversity training programs.

According to letters obtained by ABC News, employees were informed their government email access would be suspended and they would not be required to perform work-related tasks during their leave. The notices, issued under guidance from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, stated the leave was not disciplinary and employees would continue receiving full pay and benefits.

Sheria Smith, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 252, told ABC News that more than 50 employees in “extremely diverse roles” received the notices. Many were locked out of their accounts and had to check personal email addresses for the notification.

“It’s very, very unsettling,” said one department employee with over 20 years of experience, who spoke to ABC News on condition of anonymity. “I don’t get it. What’s my crime? What have I done?”

The move appears to align with President Donald Trump‘s executive order issued during his first week in office, which called on agencies to “combat” private-sector diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. Employees who spoke to ABC News said the only common thread among those placed on leave was their attendance at a voluntary “Diversity Change-Agent Training Program” in 2019.

Madi Biedermann, the Department of Education’s deputy assistant secretary for communications, said in a statement that the agency is “evaluating staffing in line with the commitment to prioritizing meaningful learning ahead of divisive ideology in schools and putting student outcomes above special interests.”

However, employees expressed confusion, noting that DEI initiatives were encouraged during Trump’s first term under then-Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. “We were expected to do DEI,” said one employee. “That’s what Trump and Betsy DeVos wanted us to do. They put it in our [performance] plans.”

The training program, which took place over two days in March 2019, aimed to create action plans to “drive diversity and inclusion” and increase creativity and innovation. Employees who participated said they were never warned that attending the training could lead to adverse personnel actions.

One employee, who works remotely from New York and has over a decade of experience administering federal programs, called the situation “bizarre.” “Betsy DeVos — and [Trump’s] prior administration — was a decent champion of these programs,” the employee said. “It’s just strange how they can retroactively apply something.”

Smith, the union president, said the affected employees hold a wide range of positions, from senior civil rights attorneys to press specialists. She expressed concern that more letters could be sent in the coming days, potentially affecting hundreds of additional staff members.

ABC News has reached out to the White House for comment but has not yet received a response. Employees placed on leave said they remain in the dark about the specific reasons for their suspension and are struggling to process the sudden change.

“My mood felt a little bit different just waking up knowing that I wasn’t going to be working,” said one employee, a parent of two young children. “But I just feel like there’s a lot of information that I’m trying to process.”