Law Students Threatened for Not Attending Mandated DEI Training: Report
A report says students at Southern Illinois University’s Simmons Law School were threatened with a “letter of reprimand” placed in their permanent records if they didn’t attend a required DEI (diversity, equity, adn inclusion) training, with the letter potentially affecting their status if bar-character-and-fitness paperwork is requested. The message obtained after Freedom of Facts Act requests reportedly states that students who fail to complete required sessions (and don’t submit make-ups within a reasonable time) would receive the reprimand, which Defending Education-an affiliated parental rights group-secured.
The report also alleges the DEI training materials suggest the legal profession can be racially discriminatory and includes slides claiming bullying disproportionately affects underrepresented groups and that lawyers of colour are bullied more often than white lawyers.Defending Education and it’s communications director characterize the approach as indefensible.
The article places this dispute in the broader context of American Bar Association accreditation rules that require law schools to support DEI efforts, noting the ABA’s governing council recently moved to change that requirement, with formal changes later considered by the House of Delegates.
Students at Southern Illinois University’s Simmons Law School were reportedly threatened with a “letter of reprimand” that would be placed in their permanent file if they did not attend a mandatory diversity, equity, and inclusion training session.
The reprimand letter could also be d with the state bar, according to a report from the Daily Signal published earlier this week.
“Those who cannot attend in person typically fulfill the make-up expectations without issue,” an associate dean wrote to one of the students who didn’t wish to participate.
“If a student misses a required session and does not complete a make-up within a reasonable period of time, we typically issue a letter of reprimand,” the dean added.
The was obtained by a parental rights group called Defending Education.
After multiple Freedom of Information Act requests, Defending Education obtained the message, which also said that the “letter is placed in the student’s permanent file and would be d with the bar if the file is requested as part of the character and fitness process.”
In addition, other s revealed that the university is teaching students that the law, and legal field, can be “racially discriminatory.”
The Daily Signal highlighted a specific part of the training that mentioned bullying.
One of the presentation slides read, “Bullying disproportionately affects traditionally underrepresented groups,” while another slide claimed “lawyers of color were bullied more often than white lawyers.”
Erika Sanzi, senior director of communications at Defending Education, told the outlet that the school’s tactics are “indefensible and embarrassing.”
“Threatening law school students with a letter of reprimand if they refuse to attend a DEI session they were deceived about is indefensible and embarrassing,” a statement from Defending Education noted.
This news comes just days after the council of the American Bar Association, which oversees law school accreditation in the United States, moved to change a rule that forces schools to support DEI.
This represents a major reversal from the decades-old requirement that law schools actively work to increase the amount of female and minority students within their ranks.
The rule will not officially change, however, until the ABA’s House of Delegates examines the issue in August.
The requirement may not be formally changed until 2027, and was initially suspended back in February 2025, one month after President Donald Trump began his second term in office.
The president has continually opposed DEI initiatives and has worked to eliminate such doctrines within federal agencies.
He has also threatened to withhold federal funds from organizations that continue to push DEI, and those that attempt to rebrand in an effort to sidestep the new regulations.
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