MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – At a time that Mount Pleasant’s public school district is suffering from chronic absenteeism rates twice as high as the start of the pandemic, it is involved in a statewide debate on diversity, equity and inclusion.

Mount Pleasant School District could lose its federal funding if it doesn’t abide by President Donald Trump’s executive over to end all DEI programs. The Detroit News reported March 1 that a complaint had been filed against the Mount Pleasant school district for not ending its DEI programs, but didn’t provide any other details, such as who filed the complaint.

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Mount Pleasant Superintendent Jennifer Verleger didn’t return an email from Michigan News Source seeking comment.

Mount Pleasant received $16,979 per pupil in total funding for its General Fund in 2023-24, of which $1,848, of 11%, was from the federal government.

While DEI has put Mount Pleasant in the news, the district has other pressing issues. In 2023-24, 28.3% of the district’s students were “chronically absent,” meaning they missed 10% of the class days, or roughly 18 days. The district had a chronically absent rate of 29.6% in 2022-23. Those rates were as low as 12% in 2015-16.

The district also has struggled academically. For example, 78% of its third grade students were not proficient in English Language Arts in 2023-24, according to the state of Michigan. The state average for third graders was 60%.

“Schools should focus on getting kids to school and then learning,” said Jarrett Skorup, the spokesman for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. “If the DEI program does that, they should do it. But most of the time these programs are distractions from core educational activities.”