A prominent private schools group will not hold two decades-old conferences related to diversity this year, a notable move amid the federal government’s crackdown on equity and inclusion programs.
The announcement from the National Association of Independent Schools was made on Thursday as the Trump administration released guidance threatening to pull federal funding from public schools if they used diversity, equity and inclusion programs to “advantage one’s race over another.” It came as K-12 schools have generally been less inclined than universities during the past two months to change their practices in response to warnings from Washington.
The association did not explicitly cite the administration’s threats in canceling the conferences, and was not targeted itself. The group, which includes about 1,700 private schools, holds several annual meetings of students and educators, including an event described as a “multiracial, multicultural gathering” for student leaders to discuss issues such as social justice.
Another flagship gathering dates to the 1980s and is meant to help schools create inclusive communities. The event came under fire late last year from several Jewish organizations that condemned remarks made by some speakers as antisemitic. The Trump administration has demanded that several elite higher education institutions, including Columbia and Harvard, do more to fight antisemitism.
On Friday, web pages for the conferences redirected readers to an announcement on the “difficult decision” to pause the gatherings — known as the Student Diversity Leadership Conference and the People of Color Conference — this year.
“Given the rapidly evolving political and legal landscape, we are taking this time to reassess the conferences,” the association said.
The association’s president, Debra Wilson, said in a separate letter to schools that “we know that diversity makes our schools and our entire sector stronger,” and that events were regularly reviewed to address the needs of attendees.
The membership of the National Association of Independent Schools includes a significant number of schools in the New York region, including some of the city’s most prestigious private institutions, such as the Dalton School on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and the Horace Mann School in the Bronx.
The association made national headlines in December when some speakers at its People of Color Conference characterized Israel’s war in Gaza as a genocide and the establishment of the state of Israel as a racist project. The comments became part of a broader debate about what speech should be considered antisemitic.
Several Jewish groups condemned the remarks as contributing to a “toxic” atmosphere at the conference and said that some Jewish students who wore Star of David jewelry had felt compelled to hide it because they were frightened. Ms. Wilson apologized and said that remarks at future conferences would be vetted, prompting a separate wave of criticism from people who lamented “the weaponization of the charge of antisemitism.”
The Anti-Defamation League, one of the organizations that denounced the remarks at the time, said in a statement on Thursday that the People of Color Conference had strayed from its “stated values” in recent years and ignored the effects of “antisemitic rhetoric” on Jewish students and faculty members.
“Today’s decision is a first step,” the Jewish advocacy group said.
A spokesman for the private schools association said in a statement on Friday that it was “committed to fostering an inclusive independent school community where all members feel supported and valued,” and noted that the review of the two conferences came as they “have grown significantly since their inception.”
Others criticized the association’s announcement. Chase Williams, the founder of a speech and debate summer camp program for middle and high school students, wrote on social media that he was “so disappointed” in the decision.
“If independent schools can’t be independent, what’s the point?” Mr. Williams wrote.