President Donald J. Trump’s reinstatement of commonsense school discipline policies couldn’t have come at a more critical time. After years of failed experiments in equity-driven discipline, our schools, particularly in places like Lower Merion and Philadelphia, have veered away from one of their most basic responsibilities: maintaining safe, orderly classrooms where every child can learn.
Trump’s new directive reestablishes what should never have been abandoned: that discipline should be based on behavior, not race. It reinforces Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, making clear that school districts cannot enforce different standards of behavior based on a student’s skin color. This executive action demands an immediate and honest reassessment from districts whose current practices have prioritized ideology over safety, often at the expense of the very students they claim to protect.
The Problem in Philadelphia and Lower Merion
Both the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) and the Lower Merion School District (LMSD) have embedded “restorative justice” and “equity-focused” approaches into their discipline codes. In theory, these methods aim to teach, restore, and guide students toward better behavior. In practice, however, they have often resulted in lowered expectations, inconsistent enforcement, and dangerous learning environments.
The Philadelphia district’s Code of Conduct, for example, openly prioritizes “reducing disproportionality” in discipline over maintaining order. Lower Merion’s equity policies, meanwhile, promote “inclusive environments” through alternative discipline practices that can sometimes downplay or excuse serious infractions in the name of equity.
The focus has shifted from what a student did to who a student is. That’s not education. That’s ideology — and it’s making schools less safe, less effective, and less just.
What the Executive Order Demands
Trump’s order flips the current broken model on its head. It insists that discipline be based purely on student behavior, not on group identity or pressure to engineer equal outcomes. It demands that safety and accountability return to the heart of school governance.
Districts are now required to prove that their discipline policies comply with Title VI without resorting to racial balancing acts. This will mean dismantling practices that effectively excuse misbehavior because of a student’s background, and replacing them with clear, consistent standards for all students, equally enforced.
It doesn’t mean abandoning compassion or eliminating opportunities for students to learn from mistakes. It means recognizing that truly caring about students — all students — requires creating an environment where learning can actually happen without fear, chaos, or disorder.
Why This Matters for Philadelphia’s Future
For the Philadelphia area, the stakes could not be higher. Philadelphia’s public schools already rank among the lowest-performing in the nation. Safety is a daily concern. Classroom disruptions have become normalized, driving good teachers out of the profession and leaving students to suffer the consequences. Lower Merion, often seen as a top suburban district, has similarly struggled under the weight of ideological policies that have confused discipline with discrimination.
If school leaders in these districts take the executive order seriously, they have an opportunity to reverse these trends. They can rebuild schools around a simple, fair principle: every child deserves a safe place to learn, and behavior, not race, determines consequences.
The challenge will be political. Many activists and administrators have become deeply invested in the DEI frameworks that led to today’s problems. Changing course will require courage from school boards, superintendents, parents, and community leaders alike.
A Call to Action
Restoring order and safety in our schools should not be a partisan issue. It should be a moral one. We owe it to our students — especially those from the most vulnerable backgrounds — to create schools where learning, not disruption, is the norm.
Districts like Philadelphia and Lower Merion must take this moment seriously. They must overhaul their discipline policies, reject race-based outcomes, and embrace behavior-based accountability. If they do, they will not only comply with the law — they will start winning back the trust of parents, the respect of teachers, and most importantly, the futures of their students.
Common sense is making a comeback. It’s time our school districts catch up.
