Diversity in Our Schools: The Shrinking Legal Toolkit
NJ STRIVE’s 2025 Professional Development Conference gave school human resources leaders a candid look at what the law still allows.
What remains permissible, and what never was
Districts face political backlash, budget shifts, and rising community fears around even discussing diversity, equity, or inclusion. The conference opened by naming those pressures and by recalling the consortium’s long-standing collective strength.
The keynote, delivered by school law attorney David B. Rubin, Esq., walked through the legal frameworks behind district decisions and made one point plainly: districts may not use an individual’s race as the deciding factor, but they may still pursue race-conscious goals with race-neutral tools such as wider applicant pools, targeted recruitment, and welcoming workplaces.
The law requires nuance, not panic.
Three rounds of breakout sessions followed, led by partner vendors and member districts, on equitable accommodations, recruitment strategies, and artificial intelligence.
Scenes from the day
Every session, page by page
Materials from the day were shared as a digital flipbook, opened by QR code at each table.