Gov. J.B. Pritzker told reporters a few weeks ago that he was concerned about some local school and library board races.
“There are organizations that are anti-LGBTQ, that are racist, they’re anti Muslim, that are supporting candidates for these local boards. And they’re trying to take over at a local level and build up candidates at the local level that they can then run for the state legislature and for other offices.”
Far-right groups like Awake Illinois morphed from fighting school-based COVID mitigations into battling so-called “woke” ideas like Critical Race Theory (which isn’t taught anywhere), sex education and local drag queen story-reading. The group once referred to Pritzker as a “groomer.”
Awake Illinois claimed last week that they’ve identified more than 70 candidates, although the group’s political committee reported having just $100 in cash in January and it often grossly exaggerates its real-life prowess.
But the environment out there is hot right now, with national activists like Charlie Kirk holding local events and stirring up passions. The Illinois Policy Institute has a private “Parents Union” Facebook group that focuses on school board elections and sharing information and ginning people up as much as possible.
Local Republican Party organizations are also jumping into races, including in McLean County, which has become a hotbed of radicalization. Palatine’s high school district is also attracting local GOP assistance, where some residents are up in arms about the local school board adopting sex education standards. “Together we can gain a majority on the board and put a stop to the sexualization of children in our schools,” read one recent door-hanger.
When told of local Republican Party support for some of these candidates and asked what he intended to do about it, Pritzker said, “We are supporting candidates that are standing up for freedom.” But with an April 4 election date looming, that plan hadn’t yet been in plain sight.
The plan is now coming into more focus. The Democratic Party of Illinois began by initially looking at 400-some races and then identifying more than 100 what they call “fringe” candidates in 60 different school board districts. All of those districts and most of those candidates will be targeted in what party officials say will be a “robust” campaign.
“It’s going to be very much a voter education program,” explained a Democratic Party of Illinois official. The state party will be “shedding light on the fact that there are candidates supported by these national extremist groups that are on their ballot.”
“We want to make investments that actually have some real effect at spreading the word about these extremist candidates,” the official said.
The party’s preferred candidates will receive on-the-ground help, like “cutting turf” for door-to-door canvassers. But they’ll also receive assistance with their messaging, plus the state party will sponsor or help with direct mail and digital ads, as well as opposition research.
The state party has been working on this plan for weeks and has reached out to local county parties, state central committeepersons, grassroots groups and unions (mainly the teachers unions and AFSCME), not only for help with candidates and identifying the radicals, but also with knowledge of important issues in the targeted districts.
These races are not partisan in the traditional sense because candidates often run on local slates. So, mailers paid for by the Democratic Party of Illinois could generate a backlash. But DPI is saying that they’ll mainly be communicating “to a base audience” of fellow Democrats. The party also says they’ll be deferring to local “partners” on “where to be involved louder than other areas.”
“A lot of these people, this was their first time running for office,” the party official said. While some have political experience, they are “looking for some guidance on how to structure their campaign, what kind of timeline to follow, how to target voters. So, we’re providing them with that sort of campaign expertise.”
Without intervention, the party official said, “We could easily see ourselves electing numerous extremist folks to these positions that have a ton of power.”
“Our values are on the line,” the official claimed.
This is an unprecedented move, but perhaps we’re in unprecedented times. And it’s exactly the sort of thing the governor has been saying for years that the state party should be focusing on: Building the party up from the bottom and focusing resources on much more than legislative and statewide contests.
- Bruce( no not him) - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:04 am:
Ah, remembering the good old days.
When people ran for the school board because their kid didn’t play enough in (name your sport)
- Techie - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:15 am:
I’m glad to hear the Dems have a plan to get sane folks elected and prevent those who believe in lies and nonsense from getting on these boards.
- Donnie Elgin - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:15 am:
Such a shame that party politics are poisoning local races. Library/School Board candidates should be on the ballot because they value the resources/services offered by the unit of local govt. Getting the D/R involved formally will open up Pandora’s box of power politics and hack candidates.
- H-W - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:17 am:
I can only guess. But I will. I will guess that many of these candidates are clueless about school budgets, and have no idea about the business of school boards.
I will also guess that the vision they have for their schools is one is which children are intentionally made to ignore matters that will shape their adult lives.
I will guess these citizens would prefer children who have no knowledge of sex, nor knowledge of other people outside their neighborhoods. Their curricular decisions would create citizens who lack to foresight or skills to understand and not fear others near and far. Their children will lack knowledge of demography, and not know their state, local or national histories. They will not know there is a world with its own history, impinging upon their lives.
I will guess those elected will succeed only in disrupting education, so as to create new citizens who have no knowledge of the world they are inheriting and will live in.
Rich is right when he writes these races are not partisan in the traditional sense. But more important is that these races are very parochial, isolationist, and puritanical. They set the stage for denying the potentials of their own children in an increasingly competitive labor market, and they drain our nation of its intellectual and applied potential. I will guess that should they win in certain places, their schools will create followers, not leaders.
- Steve - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:33 am:
In Illinois , being on a school board that has students reading and doing math below grade level is not extreme.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:36 am:
===Such a shame that party politics are poisoning local races.===
It’s being going on for quite some time, way before and especially during COVID where Rich did a whole post on where folks were purposely identifying against *Pritzker* and any or all school issues, real or imagined.
Now it’s about banning books, phony teaching worries, and the word “woke”, and Pritzker fighting against those tearing down governing like… libraries and schools.
It harkens back, again, for me, to “A Field of Dreams” and the scene where book banning is seen, without bias or message, for what it was and still is.
I remember watching that scene in its time and thinking how contrived, these pages of dialog to book banning, but here we are now… folks wanting to ban books, other states with books “unacceptable”…
… we’re digressing, good on Pritzker for realizing this fight is too important to let the worst of us… drag down the rest of us.
School boards, last time, were saved, on a whole. Will they be again? Will the embarrassingly aggrieved carry the day?
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:38 am:
===In Illinois===
Didn’t Rich have a comparison to what other states are measuring?
How is banning books going to help with reading or math scores?
- Titan - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:39 am:
Nonpartisan only means that the candidates don’t have a party affiliation shown on the ballot. It does not mean apolitical
- Maya Louise - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:40 am:
Its funny that Awake is holding onto their list of candidates they support. Its almost like being backed by a toxic “parents rights” group who are bullying gender non conforming kids and want to defund public education is not a positive when running for a public school board.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:41 am:
- Steve -
It was four days ago…
https://capitolfax.com/2023/02/23/here-we-go-again-35/
Here, if you’re too lazy to “read”, from the link above…
===• Illinois has some of the most rigorous learning standards in the nation: ranking fourth most rigorous for 4th grade reading and fifth most rigorous for 8th grade reading. In Illinois, a student needs to earn a level of 4 or 5 to be considered proficient. In comparison, the rigor of Florida’s standards ranks 39th and 42nd, respectively, and a student only needs to earn a level 3 on the state assessment to be considered proficient. ===
- John Lopez - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:43 am:
=== I’m glad to hear the Dems have a plan to get sane folks elected and prevent those who believe in lies and nonsense from getting on these boards. ===
Problem with above statement, Democratic-backed candidates, especially those backed by local teachers unions believe enough of their own lies and nonsense too, including the teachers-union lie that teachers, not parents, know what’s best for their kids.
=== I will guess these citizens would prefer children who have no knowledge of sex, nor knowledge of other people outside their neighborhoods. ===
No, the fact is parents don’t want their younger children, grades K-3, to not be exposed to sexual topics until a more appropriate grade (in the mid 70s, I wasn’t exposed to sex education until middle school, and girls received sex education in 5th grade because they “mature faster”).
Denying anyone their First Amendment rights to take action for their children or their communities is what many fringe elements on the left want.
Fringe elements on the right have their problems too. Take the Huntley D158 pop-up PAC “McHenry County Citizens for Lower Taxes”. Their PAC is backing 4 school board candidates (without documenting it on their D-1) and are run from a PO Box in northwest Wisconsin, and only connection to Illinois is the chairman/treasurer is Catalina Lauf’s treasurer for both her defunct congressional campaign, and her Defense of Freedom federal PAC, which have a combined nearly $200K in bank at end of 2022, some of which can be used in local races.
That lack of transparency turns me off too to the point I can’t back anyone on that slate until they come across with the names of people backing them BEFORE the election.
- Steve - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:44 am:
===In Illinois===
Why doesn’t Governor Pritzker and Lori Lightfoot send their kids to the local government school which they claim they support? Aren’t they good enough for their kids? It’s a mystery.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:45 am:
===Why doesn’t===
Ask them. Don’t vote for them.
Anything else?
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:46 am:
- John Lopez -
Can parents opt out of these units?
It’s a yes or no question. Nothing to opine.
- bhartbanjo - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:52 am:
At the suggestion of the local library Director, I have signed up for, and am on, the ballot for the library board of trustees. For me, it was a big step getting signatures, even though it only required under 30 on our small district. But it was interesting. I only had one couple who were worried about the “woke” agenda being pushed to our youth by libraries. They wanted to know where I stood on the pornographic graphic novels which have been found in public libraries “everywhere”. They had heard all about it on the radio. I advised them to not sign my petition. I also told them that my mother had been the director of a large public library and I was doing this to honor her (which is true). On the other hand, I had another guy (a local historian/author) who sounded me out to make sure I was actually going to support the library.
- Techie - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:53 am:
“Problem with above statement, Democratic-backed candidates, especially those backed by local teachers unions believe enough of their own lies and nonsense too, including the teachers-union lie that teachers, not parents, know what’s best for their kids.”
Apples and oranges. By and large, Dems and those on the left are living in reality and know what is and isn’t a threat to their children. Can’t say the same for those who want to ban books and prevent their kids from learning their country’s history, and who oppose CRT, something which its opponents can’t define and isn’t being taught in K-12 anyway.
- Flying Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:53 am:
John Lopez-
If you think some children aren’t introduced to sex topics before the third grade you’re living in a fantasy land that you have obviously created yourself.
- Occam - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:54 am:
You know you’re over the target when you start taking flak.
- Madigan's Apple - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:55 am:
=== No, the fact is parents don’t want their younger children, grades K-3, to not be exposed to sexual topics until a more appropriate grade (in the mid 70s, I wasn’t exposed to sex education until middle school, and girls received sex education in 5th grade because they “mature faster”).===
You need an education on what the curriculum for each age group is. You can’t just label everything as “sex ed” and say it’s automatically inappropriate. for instance, the standards state that by 2nd grade…
“Demonstrate how to communicate personal boundaries and show respect for someone else’s
personal boundaries
CHR.2.IC.1″
Please don’t debate this important issue without understanding the basics.
- OneMan - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:55 am:
== Problem with above statement, Democratic-backed candidates, especially those backed by local teachers unions believe enough of their own lies and nonsense too, including the teachers-union lie that teachers, not parents, know what’s best for their kids. ==
I guess the short response is to this if you have a concern about the judgment of public school teachers, then you shouldn’t be sending your kids to public school. If you try and accommodate what every parent thinks is “best for their kid” you are going to end up in chaos. So at the beginning of the year should every parent be sent a huge form about what they want their kid exposed to and not exposed to? How do you manage that?
Sally and George, you need to leave the room now, ok kids, let’s talk about slavery.
I think it is best for my kid if he doesn’t play basketball in gym class because I want him to focus on baseball, so when they are playing basketball I want him to work on his bunting. I don’t like how you teach math so I want you to use this method with my kid. I don’t want my kid to read anything published after 1930. Where does it end?
You wouldn’t say that when the fire department shows up at your house, you should be able to tell them how to fight the fire. They are professionals. You pay them and trust their judgment because they deal with fire more than you do. Sometimes they are going to get it wrong, and some of them are going to be better at their jobs than other, just like every other human endevor.
If you want what is best for your kid every minute of every day then spend every minute of every day with them.
- JS Mill - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:57 am:
=including the teachers-union lie that teachers, not parents, know what’s best for their kids.=
It isn’t a “teachers-union” lie. Let me know when all parents are curriculum and instruction experts then I will take their input on what is best for their students educationally.
Do you perform your own surgeries? Should parenst? Since they know what is best?
- Torco Sign - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:57 am:
Supporting grassroots candidates, knowing full well that these offices are often launching pads for higher ones, has been going on in some places for awhile now. It’s fine to spread the word about dangerous candidates. It’s not OK to use this as an excuse for a certain billionaire to buy more allegiance just because he wants to run for President. But I am sure the candidates funded by JBPI will pledge and practice independence
- Rich Miller - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 9:59 am:
===buy more allegiance just because he wants to run for President===
lol
That’s funny.
- Louis G Atsaves - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 10:06 am:
Want real reform in this area? Want real elections? Move them away from March/April to May or June and distance them from the November elections so that voter turnout can be generated, candidates will not miss petition deadlines, and real issues on local levels can be discussed.
Now these consolidated elections are generally treated like the etcetera wing of government.
And make them all non-partisan again. A few of them aren’t.
- cermak_rd - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 10:12 am:
I have a brother-in-law who ran for a seat on a county board in Iowa. In preparation for his run he attended most of the meetings. It was funny to see the change. Before he would complain about welfare spending and after he would talk about finding funding for important services. It really seemed to change his outlook as he differentiated his vision of welfare (whatever that was) from the important services that government provides (food delivery and transportation for the elderly–big concerns in rural areas these days).
- Amalia - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 10:13 am:
wonder if any of them are Vallas donors….
- Save Ferris - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 10:19 am:
“the teachers-union lie that teachers, not parents, know what’s best for their kids”
Wait until you hear about doctors knowing what’s better for kids on the medical front.
Subject matter expertise is the foundation of a capitalistic society (comparative advantage). But, sure, throw that expertise out when it doesn’t jibe with your personal preconceived notions.
- Donni Elgin - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 10:21 am:
“There are organizations that are anti-LGBTQ, that are racist, they’re anti Muslim, that are supporting candidates for these local boards.”
Can JB provide the names of these extreme candidates?
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 10:28 am:
===Can JB provide the names===
You are suggesting folks aren’t running on such things, including book banning
Friend, where have you been for over a decade, and especially these last two school board cycles?
There might be, and I’m just “guessing”, a group or two that might be endorsing such candidates.
You can use the Google Key for folks in your area I bet.
Also, if Pritzker is involved in any “race”, dontcha think that’s a fair indication that maybe folks running in those races have those beliefs?
This isn’t rocket science
- Betty Draper’s cigarette - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 10:32 am:
=== Denying anyone their First Amendment rights to take action for their children or their communities is what many fringe elements on the left want.===
Who is denying? You mean running challengers in a democratic election is denying?
- education first - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 10:41 am:
Always interested in Oppo research, I am on the Awake IL mailing list. They are doing a workshop teaching those who are running how Roberts Rules of Order are used. This seems so basic, and yet, I have not recently seen any training in this area. DEMS are you listening?
- Demoralized - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 10:49 am:
== being on a school board that has students reading and doing math below grade level is not extreme.==
Are you that clueless? The issue is these extremists coming in wanting to do things like ban books and to whitewash the curriculum with “patriotic” history.
- Demoralized - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 10:50 am:
==Can JB provide the names of these extreme candidates?==
Start with Awake Illinois and then go from there. Man some of you really are dense.
- Donnie Elgin - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 11:02 am:
“Start with Awake Illinois and then go from there. Man some of you really are dense”
Today …
“Awake IL endorsements will not be announced until after candidate engagement events have transpired”
- Demoralized - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 11:06 am:
==Denying anyone their First Amendment rights to take action for their children or their communities is what many fringe elements on the left want.==
Who’s denying anyone their First Amendment rights? The only ones I see doing any denying are those that want to ban books and those attacking LGBTQ kids.
- Grandson of Man - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 11:14 am:
Good. Cede no ground to bigots. The well being and lives of historical discrimination victims depend on it. DeSantis is grooming an ignorant and hateful population that will become tomorrow’s Republican voters. If “Awake” and others don’t like it here, they can move to Florida.
- Nearly Normal - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 11:39 am:
Education First–The Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) does all kinds of trainings for new board members. That includes Roberts and other items. There are websites devoted to Robert’s Rules.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 11:44 am:
===“Awake IL endorsements will not be announced until after candidate engagement events have transpired”===
Worry not, you’ll still get a full chance to deny book burners and extremists aren’t running, lol
- Suburban Mom - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 11:48 am:
=== the fact is parents don’t want their younger children, grades K-3, to not be exposed to sexual topics until a more appropriate grade===
What are you talking about? Of course I want my 1st grader receiving the high-quality, age-appropriate instruction that’s part of the district comprehensive sex ed curriculum. They teach her about bodies, consent, big feelings, etc. — things she finds very interesting as “grappling with big feelings” is an everyday thing when you’re six. Knowing how to talk to a trusted adult about someone who is scaring her, and when to tell an adult that you’re worried about a friend — that’s great.
And if you mean storybooks with two mommies, well, she knows lots of people with two mommies, it’s not exactly a news flash. She will even give you chapter and verse on male-male penguin pairs raising orphaned eggs because we are on a big penguin kick and have watched ALL the penguin documentaries.
And yeah, they taught her about pronouns and gender identity in a straightforward and matter-of-fact way, which is super-helpful, because her high school aged brother has a good friend who’s nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns. We told her once, she knew exactly how it worked, and the friend is really touched that a six-year-old is using their correct pronouns.
- Not an Outlier - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 11:51 am:
🥱
- Pot calling kettle - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 11:52 am:
==including the teachers-union lie that teachers, not parents, know what’s best for their kids.==
Do tell. Why do teachers need a minimum of 4 years of higher education, certification, and continuing ed? Several others have called this out, yet no response…
- education first - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 11:59 am:
Nearly Normal…wonderful that the IASB provide training for new board members. Understanding Roberts Rules of Order is imperative for anyone serving. Who else in IL does this training? How many boards and commissions have volunteers who have no idea how to call a question, etc.
- Candy Dogood - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 12:07 pm:
I am glad to see that Pritzker is taking an action besides threatening to close the school boards.
- Nuke The Whales - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 12:21 pm:
==No, the fact is parents don’t want their younger children, grades K-3, to not be exposed to sexual topics until a more appropriate grade==
Then it’s a good thing Illinois state statute already mandates that sex ed be grade appropriate.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 12:38 pm:
Thank you to - JS Mill - and - OneMan -
What you both have done is bring rational “people-ness” to something that ideologues want “uniformed while ill-informed”, and these school board fascists that want books banded and teaching stifled for Right “wants”… you both reminded it’s about a professional industry doing right, as the Right want the projection of their own want… indoctrination
- Stuck in Celliniland - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 12:41 pm:
==Why do teachers need a minimum of 4 years of higher education, certification, and continuing ed?==
School board members also need to be required to have at least 4 years of college and preferably a teaching certificate and/or a master’s degree.
- JS Mill - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 12:43 pm:
=No, the fact is parents don’t want their younger children, grades K-3, to not be exposed to sexual topics until a more appropriate grade=
Aside from the nonsensical triple negative in your confusing statement (?) I would just like to know what parents you are speaking for and when were you asked to speak on their behalf?
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 12:45 pm:
===School board members also need to be required to have at least 4 years of college and preferably a teaching certificate and/or a master’s degree.===
No. That’s up to the voters. Not you, it’s not in statute.
Further, it’s tough enough to find folks to run for school boards that are “thoughtful”
- unafraid - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 12:46 pm:
=
- Pot calling kettle - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 11:52 am:
==including the teachers-union lie that teachers, not parents, know what’s best for their kids.==
Do tell. Why do teachers need a minimum of 4 years of higher education, certification, and continuing ed? Several others have called this out, yet no response…=
Response. I am a parent. Have taught in public schools in the past. I have a Doctorate and taught in a public university for 30 years. When it came to my children and now my grandchildren I will stack up my ability to know what is best against any teacher.
So now you have a response.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 12:47 pm:
- unafraid -
I dunno, given your own resume and thoughts, you must lie too, being a teacher.
Yeah, it sounds silly, but your “you don’t know” that folks are… to you being exactly what you fear… is a comedy gold self own.
- Politix - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 12:51 pm:
“Awake IL endorsements will not be announced until after candidate engagement events have transpired”
AWAKE IL is so insidious. They have shown up at our local libraries to get books banned without every saying they are members. But if you look and listen, they’ll show you exactly who they are.
- Demoralized - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 1:02 pm:
==School board members also need to be required to have at least 4 years of college and preferably a teaching certificate and/or a master’s degree.==
What in the world for? That’s just silly.
- JS Mill - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 1:19 pm:
First…top of the hat to OW.
=Response. I am a parent. Have taught in public schools in the past. I have a Doctorate and taught in a public university for 30 years. When it came to my children and now my grandchildren I will stack up my ability to know what is best against any teacher.=
You think being a university teacher makes you an expert in k-12 instruction. My worst teacher is better that the average university professor instructionally.
So now YOU have a response.
- Jocko - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 1:19 pm:
==Have taught in public schools in the past (and) taught at a public university for 30 years)==
Are you aging in reverse like Benjamin Button?
I would challenge anyone who ‘knows best’ to spend a month teaching 25 public school first/second graders post-Covid. No way you’d make it to the end of the week.
- Maya Louise - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 1:35 pm:
No one is teaching K-3 about sex.
They do however teach kids that Families come in many forms. Not just a mom and dad. They also teach that gender is more of a spectrum. A notion that has been around far longer than this country. Gender and sexuality are not the same things. Some adults could use that lesson.
People serving on Public School boards should be people who want to make them better. Not folks who want to play DeSantis jr or Betsy Devos 2.0.
Know the candidates political leanings because childrens futures depend on well funded equitable education. Voting for candidates that want to better our public schools is an investment in IL and our countries future.
- Demoralized - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 1:47 pm:
I don’t think this needs to be a contest between teachers and parents. Both have roles to play. I generally don’t believe I should be sticking my nose into the curriculum my kids teacher is utilizing. If I’ve got questions or concerns I’ll ask the teacher. And if I have disagreement with any particular curriculum I’ll talk to my kid about it. There has been a time or two I’ve told my kid to do assignments but only to get them done and to ignore what they are trying to teach. I didn’t go demand that the books be banned and try to take over the school board.
- Norseman - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 1:50 pm:
What can’t be said enough is that these extremists push misinformation to justify their activities. That is what we need to fight. Thankfully, JB and the Dems are now engaged in this battle.
- Leap Day William - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 1:53 pm:
== (in the mid 70s, I wasn’t exposed to sex education until middle school, and girls received sex education in 5th grade because they “mature faster”) ==
In the mid-70s, sexual abuse of children was a lot more common because kids *weren’t* exposed to age-appropriate sex education and being taught they have autonomy over their own bodies.
- Grandson of Man - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 1:53 pm:
Anybody who’s obsessed with finding sexuality among children, as the right wing organizations are, ought to be questioned themselves. Why are they so darn obsessed? Their own minds are “in the gutter.”
- Dotnonymous - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 2:22 pm:
“All politics is local”…still.
- In 630 - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 2:26 pm:
Judging by whose signs are turning up in the yards of people who had various anti-mask, Darren Bailey signs near me while having the vaguest official content- there’s a few candidates trying to be stealthy about their culture war credentials out there too
- OneMan - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 2:54 pm:
== Response. I am a parent. Have taught in public schools in the past. I have a Doctorate and taught in a public university for 30 years. When it came to my children and now my grandchildren I will stack up my ability to know what is best against any teacher. ==
Good for you, then teach your grandchildren yourself.
It would have been better for my kid (going to use my youngest for this), if about 30~40 kids were removed from his senior class so he could have been one of the top 5 graduates. It would have been better for my kid if they had doubled funding for the robotic program. It would have been better for my kid if he could have skipped gym and taken more math.
That’s the thing with public education. It’s public. It isn’t going to be bespoke for your kid. Sticking with the fire department example, it would be best to put the EMTs 40 feet from my house.
Lastly and just generically, any professional with real experience who thinks “they know best” and isn’t going to consider the other options besides what they know isn’t that great of a professional to begin with. It might be my IT background speaking, but new knowledge is put out there all the time and experience does not guarantee “you know best”. In my field, it isn’t true and I am likely in the top 5% of all professionals in terms of length of experience with the technology I work with I know my experience while very helpful does not provide me with certainty.
- JS Mill - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 2:57 pm:
=If I’ve got questions or concerns I’ll ask the teacher. And if I have disagreement with any particular curriculum I’ll talk to my kid about it. There has been a time or two I’ve told my kid to do assignments but only to get them done and to ignore what they are trying to teach. I didn’t go demand that the books be banned and try to take over the school board.=
A sound and sensible approach.
And you are correct, it shouldn’t be adversarial. Unfortunately, not everyone sees it that way.
- btowntruth from forgottonia - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 3:41 pm:
“Such a shame that party politics are poisoning local races.”
It has been happening for a while.
It is getting noticed more now.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 3:47 pm:
===Such a shame that party politics are poisoning local races===
Depends on whether you think party politics is so much worse than Awake Illinois fielding candidates.
- low level - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 3:55 pm:
==When it came to my children and now my grandchildren I will stack up my ability to know what is best against any teacher.==
Do you home school the grandkids since you know better and hold teachers in such contempt?
- Demoralized - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 4:00 pm:
==Do you home school ==
I always think the same thing. If these people are so adamant that they have 100% control over school curriculum they can guarantee that by home schooling their kids. Do come to my kid’s school looking to ban books or shame LGBTQ kids or whatever other hateful things you can think of.
- Demoralized - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 4:01 pm:
“don’t come” not do come.
- unafraid - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 4:36 pm:
@low level
Contempt of teachers? No I do not. What your comment shows is that you seem to think that parents should not question what goes son in our schools. And I do have contempt for that attitude.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 4:43 pm:
=== you seem to think that parents should not question what goes son in our schools===
Oh please. What they’re saying is individual parents shouldn’t have unilateral control over everyone’s kids.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 4:44 pm:
===Contempt of teachers? No I do not.===
Yet, you write this;
===including the teachers-union lie that teachers, not parents, know what’s best for their kids.===
So educated, yet you have no clue what contempt means or words used for it?
“Sure, Jan”
- Demoralized - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 4:56 pm:
==you seem to think that parents should not question what goes son in our schools==
This isn’t questioning. This is a concerted effort to take over our schools and impose their extremist views on everyone. Since you support their “questioning” then I’m assuming you support their drives to do things like ban books. I have contempt for that attitude.
- Demoralized - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 4:59 pm:
And @unafraid, why do you think it’s their business to tell me what my kids can or can’t read. If they don’t like it then the answer is simple - don’t read the books. But don’t tell me that books should be banned and removed from school libraries because they don’t like it. Don’t tell me how to parent my children and I won’t tell you how to parent you. It’s that arrogant attitude that needs to be quashed.
- low level - Monday, Feb 27, 23 @ 5:34 pm:
@unafraid, you can question your grandkids teachers every week for all I care. Have weekly conferences at the school or on Zoom. I just cant figure out why you dont homeschool them if you so convinced the curriculum is so poor.
Your non contempt contempt has me in stitches btw. This is the first time Ive seen your nickname. I hope you wont be a stranger as you have made my day.
- Corey beirne - Tuesday, Feb 28, 23 @ 6:56 am:
I’m a teacher in the forementioned MCLean County. The extremism is real. School Board candidates are openly calling for my investigation and arrest because I advocated for school music programs.