Civil Classroom: How School Culture Shapes Us—And What We Can Do About It

The classroom is like a second home to many students—elementary and college students alike. You spend a huge chunk of your childhood there. What you hear and see in school can leave a mark that lasts a lifetime. With that in mind, the way a school is run—its rules, funding, priorities, and daily culture—shapes that mark. And that mark has changed, a lot, over time.

What’s Shifting Right Now

Title IX and gender identity

In 2025, the U.S. Department of Education under President Trump announced a return to “biological” definitions of sex across federal policy. This has put pressure on school districts with trans-inclusive policies. Some Northern Virginia systems were labeled “high-risk” by the federal government, a designation that could threaten reimbursements for federal funds. Districts like Fairfax and Arlington have sued to block enforcement. The legal fight illustrates how federal interpretation of Title IX is actively being contested in court and in classrooms.

Funding and federal role

The back-to-school season in 2025 arrived alongside major federal education cuts. Teacher-retention grants were canceled, civil-rights staffing was scaled back, and eligibility for school-based support programs tightened. Some districts that defied federal guidance on gender and curriculum also faced penalties, compounding the strain.

Book bans and curriculum restrictions

Book removals are happening at historic levels. PEN America documented more than 10,000 book bans in the 2023–24 school year, affecting over 4,000 unique titles. A large share of these banned books features LGBTQ+ characters or people of color. These trends have only continued in 2025, shaping what students can read, discuss, and see reflected in their classrooms.

Rising hate incidents around schools

The Anti-Defamation League reported 9,354 antisemitic incidents nationwide in 2024, a 5% increase over 2023. Schools and college campuses were common sites for these incidents. The FBI also reported record levels of religion-based hate crimes, showing how broader community bias spills into classrooms.

Discipline disparities persist

The latest federal Civil Rights Data Collection shows Black students—especially Black boys—are still suspended and expelled at rates far higher than their enrollment would predict. These disparities remain one of the most persistent civil-rights challenges in U.S. schools.

Why the “Civil” Part of School Culture Matters

Research continues to show that a strong school climate—shaped by teacher–student relationships, peer norms, and fairness—predicts academic engagement and fewer behavior issues. Supportive climates lower discipline referrals and boost outcomes. On the other hand, bias from adults (even offhand remarks about race, gender, or identity) erodes trust, increases under-reporting of bullying, and widens achievement gaps. Culture is curriculum.

Is It Worse in 2025?

For marginalized students, the answer is often yes. Federal policy is actively contesting trans-inclusive practices, book bans disproportionately target LGBTQ+ and BIPOC authors, hate incidents remain elevated, and racial discipline disparities continue without a clear national plan to close them. Put together, these signals suggest many students are facing a harsher school climate in 2025 than just a few years ago.

When Teachers Cross the Line

Yes, some educators—often but not only from older generations—still make racist or anti-LGBTQ+ remarks or fail to intervene when students do. Research shows teacher responses strongly shape whether students report racism and how safe they feel. Districts are legally obligated not to permit a hostile environment based on race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity under court precedent), or disability. Complaints can be filed with the school, district, or the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

What We Can Do

Students:

• Document and report incidents of harassment or bias.

• Know your district’s policies on bullying, bathrooms, pronouns, and clubs.

• Build ally networks—GSAs, cultural clubs, or peer groups—to show strength in numbers.

Parents:

• Show up at school board meetings with data, not just opinion.

• Push for restorative practices and transparent discipline reporting.

• File formal complaints when schools fail to act.

Educators and school leaders:

• Intervene on slurs and bias every time—silence reads as permission.

• Audit discipline data for disparities and publish action plans.

• Protect access to representative books and inclusive policies, even amid political fights.

• Stay updated on Title IX and legal obligations.

The Bottom Line

Schools can either dignify students or diminish them. In 2025, the political terrain is tougher—especially for LGBTQ+ students and students of color—because of intensifying fights over identity, book bans, and unequal discipline. But culture is also local and actionable. When students, families, and educators insist on dignity, data, and due process, a civil classroom is still possible.

Sources

1. U.S. Department of Education, Title IX guidance disputes; Fairfax and Arlington lawsuits (2025).

2. Federal education budget changes and penalties for districts defying federal policy (2025).

3. PEN America, Banned in the USA: Retrospective 2021–2024 (2024).

4. Anti-Defamation League, Audit of Antisemitic Incidents (2024); FBI Hate Crime Statistics.

5. U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) discipline disparities (2024).

6. Recent research on school climate, belonging, and bias impacts (2024–25).

7. Office for Civil Rights, complaint procedures and legal obligations on hostile environments.