Private School Diversity Events Are Canceled Amid Government Crackdown

The National Association of Independent Schools said it would reassess two of its diversity conferences “given the rapidly evolving political and legal landscape.”

A prominent private schools group will not hold two decades-old conferences related to diversity this year, a notable move amid the federal government’s crackdown on equity and inclusion programs.

The announcement from the National Association of Independent Schools was made on Thursday as the Trump administration released guidance threatening to pull federal funding from public schools if they used diversity, equity and inclusion programs to “advantage one’s race over another.” It came as K-12 schools have generally been less inclined than universities during the past two months to change their practices in response to warnings from Washington.

The association did not explicitly cite the administration’s threats in canceling the conferences, and was not targeted itself. The group, which includes about 1,700 private schools, holds several annual meetings of students and educators, including an event described as a “multiracial, multicultural gathering” for student leaders to discuss issues such as social justice.

Another flagship gathering dates to the 1980s and is meant to help schools create inclusive communities. The event came under fire late last year from several Jewish organizations that condemned remarks made by some speakers as antisemitic. The Trump administration has demanded that several elite higher education institutions, including Columbia and Harvard, do more to fight antisemitism.

On Friday, web pages for the conferences redirected readers to an announcement on the “difficult decision” to pause the gatherings — known as the Student Diversity Leadership Conference and the People of Color Conference — this year.

“Given the rapidly evolving political and legal landscape, we are taking this time to reassess the conferences,” the association said.