Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05) voted on H.R. 2639, the Strength in Diversity Act of 2020. This historic legislation provides funding and expertise to support school districts which are voluntarily developing, implementing, or expanding school diversity initiatives.
“The Strength in Diversity Act of 2020 is another step in the elimination of racial and socioeconomic barriers in our country’s schools.” said Congresswoman Hayes. “This bill recognizes that school segregation in the 21st Century is about racial and economic isolation, which harmfully impacts our students.
“More than 66 years later, America’s public schools are more segregated today than at any time since the 1960’s. The isolation of students by race and income has dramatically increased over the past two decades. I am proud to vote for the Strength in Diversity Act in the House. We must ensure the Department of Education continues to build on six decades of American progress since Brown v. Board of Education and halts the segregation of schools, programs, and classrooms.”
About the Strength in Diversity Act:
The Strength in Diversity Act helps fulfill the promise of equity in education by offering support to districts that are developing, implementing, or expanding school diversity initiatives.
The bill:
- Establishes a grant program which provides federal funding to support voluntary local efforts to increase diversity in schools. Grants could fund a range of proposals, including (but not limited to):
- Studying segregation, evaluating current policies, and developing evidence-based plans to address socioeconomic and racial isolation.
- Establishing public school choice zones, revising school boundaries, or expanding equitable access to transportation for students.
- Creating or expanding innovative school programs that can attract students from outside the local area.
- Recruiting, hiring, and training new teachers to support specialized schools.
- Supports the development and maintenance of best practices for grantees and experts in the field of school diversity.
- Grant funding would be available to school districts, independently or in collaboration with neighboring districts, as well as regional educational authorities and educational service agencies.
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Rep. Jahana Hayes has been a public school teacher in Connecticut for more than 15 years
and was recognized in 2016 as the National Teacher of the Year.
Currently serving her first term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Hayes sits on the Committees on Education & Labor and Agriculture and proudly represents Connecticut’s 5th District.