Columbus City Schools Dissolves Equity Department
Columbus City Schools has quietly dissolved its Equity Department, even though it still appears on the district’s website.
According to Mike De Fabbo, the district’s chief of staff and interim communications director, the Equity Department no longer exists. While the webpage and staff listings remain live online, De Fabbo said the site is being updated, and the department’s former responsibilities have been folded into a new team structure.
“Our attendance, climate and culture, restorative practices, and social emotional learning work is now part of our Whole Child Supports team,” De Fabbo explained. This new team is part of a broader strategy aligned with one of the district’s four Board of Education guardrails: prioritizing a whole child focus.
The Whole Child Supports Department is designed to address students’ social, physical, emotional, and cognitive development through partnerships between public health and education.
The Equity Department was established in 2020 and grew from a single employee to a full team working to promote culturally responsive and inclusive classrooms. It was led by Dr. Yolanda Stewart, a longtime educator with more than 20 years in the district and a Ph.D. in educational policy and leadership from Ohio State University.
As of now, there is no indication from board documents or meeting agendas that Stewart has left her position, nor do they formally acknowledge the department’s closure.
Financial records show that the district continued to allocate $144,550 per month to the Office of Equity as recently as May. In contrast, the Whole Child Supports team does not have a dedicated fund, instead drawing from a combined pool of approximately $7.5 million allocated for student support services, special education, and accountability initiatives.
The department’s dissolution comes in the wake of an April 17 announcement from Superintendent Angela Chapman and school board spokesperson Jennifer Adair. They stated that Columbus City Schools would comply with a federal requirement to affirm its adherence to Title VI by ensuring the district does not engage in “illegal DEI practices.”
While Chapman and Adair said no immediate changes were necessary, because “illegal DEI” had not been clearly defined, this development suggests a shift in how equity-related work is structured within the district.
Despite these changes, the district has reiterated its commitment to maintaining a safe and inclusive environment. It still plans to participate in the Columbus Pride March on June 14 and has reaffirmed its support for transgender and gender-diverse students.
This follows public criticism over a recent district-wide decision to revert students’ names to their legal birth names, a move that some parents said “outed” students, including those with legally changed names.
Former Equity Department staff are reportedly continuing their work under the Whole Child Supports team, but the quiet nature of the department’s closure, paired with its lingering online presence, raises questions about transparency and the district’s evolving approach to equity and inclusion.
