* WBEZ…
The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday said it is investigating 35 Illinois school districts, including several in the suburbs, and a Chicago charter operator to see if they are teaching about sexual orientation and “gender ideology” in classrooms and if so, whether parents are allowed to opt out.
The investigations also will examine whether the districts limit access to single-sex locker rooms and bathrooms and girls sports teams. That essentially means they’ll be looking at whether or not districts allow transgender students to use facilities and play on athletic teams that correspond with their gender identity. […]
In a news release, Justice Department officials cited Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education, as the basis for the investigations, as well as a recent Supreme Court decision that ruled parents have the religious right to opt their children out of lessons at school if they do not align with their faith. It appears the Trump administration is trying to take that further by proactively looking into whether school districts have opt-out procedures in place.
* The Department of Justice…
The Illinois School Districts under investigation include:
- Atwood Heights School District 125
- Bloomington Public Schools District 87
- Bluford Unit School District 318
- Buncombe Consolidated School District 43
- Center Cass School District 66
- Central School District 104
- Community High School District 155
- Country Club Hills School District 160
- Crete-Monee School District 201-U
- DeKalb Community Unit School District 428
- East Dubuque Unit School District 119
- Elmwood Park Community Unit School District 401
- Freeport School District 145
- Galena Unit School District 120
- Gillespie Community Unit School District 7
- Iroquois County Community Unit School District 9
- Leyden Community High School District 212
- Lick Creek Community Consolidated School District 16
- Lyons School District 103
- Martinsville Community Unit School District C3
- Meridian Community Unit School District 223
- Noble Network of Charter Schools
- North Chicago Community Unit School District 187
- North Palos School District 117
- Norwood Elementary School District 63
- O’Fallon Community Consolidated School District No. 90
- Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123
- Odin Public School District 722
- Oregon Community Unit School District 220
- Pembroke Community Consolidated School District 259
- Reavis Township High School District 220
- Ridgeview Community Unit School District 19
- Stockton Community Unit School District 206
- Tamaroa School District 5
- Thornton Fractional Township High School District 215
- Will County School District 92
* The Tribune…
If the school districts are found to have included this type of content in classroom instruction, then the Department of Justice said it would look into whether schools have informed parents of their “right to opt their children out of such instruction.” The department said it would also examine whether girls’ sports teams and access to locker rooms, bathrooms and other “single-sex intimate spaces” are restricted by biological sex.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon accused Illinois public schools of “keeping parents in the dark about how sexuality and gender ideology are being pushed in classrooms” in a statement accompanying the announcement.
“Supreme Court precedent leaves no doubt: parents have the fundamental right and primary authority to direct the care, upbringing, and education of their children,” Dhillon said in the statement. “This includes exempting their children from ideological instruction that contradicts their values or decisions about their children’s health and best interests.”
The news release referenced two recent cases centering on parents’ rights to gender and sexuality-related information and decision-making in public schools: Mahmoud v. Taylor and Mirabelli v. Bonta, which dealt with questions on whether parents in these cases could opt their children out of LGBTQ+-related curricula or receive information on their child’s gender identity at school.
* ABC Chicago…
“The Trump Administration continues to punish states the President does not like and this is yet another sham investigation carried out by an office with no regard for the rule of law or the well-being of the American people,” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s Office said in a statement. “The Civil Rights Division used to investigate actual discrimination concerns to ensure all individuals are treated equally under the law, but they’re now focused on belittling the rights and humanity of LGBTQ+ communities.”
* 25News Now…
Bloomington’s school district is among three dozen Illinois schools being investigated for sexual orientation and gender identity education. […]
“Our priority remains what it has always been: providing safe, welcoming, and engaging learning environments for all students while supporting our teachers and staff in the important work they do every day,” Superintendent Dr. Mouser said in a statement to 25News.
“We will respond appropriately to the DOJ’s requests and will continue to work in good faith to ensure clarity and compliance with applicable education requirements,” he continued.
The DOJ said the Civil Rights Division has not reached any conclusions about the districts under investigation, including District 87, and the review process is now underway. District 87 said it will cooperate with the review.
* WIFR…
The Freeport School District released the following statement acknowledging the investigation:
“At this time, we do not know why our district was selected for this review; however, we have learned that more than 30 other school districts across the state received the same notice. It is possible that a sample of Illinois school districts was selected. We are confident that our instructional and student practices are in full compliance with state and federal law, as well as applicable court precedents. We intend to cooperate fully with this inquiry and will provide updates to the community as appropriate.” […]
Oregon School District also acknowledged the investigation in a post of Facebook.
There is no reason for families or community members to panic, nor should anyone assume this signals wrongdoing on the part of our district. We are taking this seriously, as we would any federal inquiry, but we are doing so from a position of professionalism, preparation, and confidence in our practices. Since receiving notice, we have already been in contact with all appropriate partners, including insurance, legal counsel, and professional associations, to ensure we are approaching this process strategically and responsibly.
The superintendent says they’re unsure why Oregon has been selected for review but is prepared to cooperate fully. The full statement can be found here.
- Juice - Friday, May 1, 26 @ 9:52 am:
Ah, the radical teachings going on in Galena, Freeport and Oregon that have long been a bastion of promoting Maoism and leftist gender ideology.
I imagine this is mostly simply because some MAGA and/or Q adjacent parents called in to report rampant groomerism based on their own imaginations than anything else.
If there were mayoral control of the schools in Elmwood Park, the DOJ might find some colorful language that is mandated in the curriculum. But since its not, can’t imagine there is much to see there either.
With Noble, my guess is whatever they’re looking at just happens to be originating from Pritzker College Prep.
- Seventh Floor - Friday, May 1, 26 @ 9:57 am:
I live in Lyons School District 103 and roughly 80% of the student population is Hispanic and over 75% are considered low income (source: Illinoisreportcard.com). The last thing these kids and their families need is for the federal government to be in their schools investigating who uses which locker rooms…
- low level - Friday, May 1, 26 @ 9:58 am:
Trump’s DOJ sure likes to waste time and money investigating nonsense while we have real criminals running around our neighborhoods. No wonder so many career prosecutors are leaving the office. Ridiculous.
- Southern_Dawg - Friday, May 1, 26 @ 9:59 am:
Totally agree with Juice. The list is from “tips” called in or emailed by MAGA supporters who got scared when they saw a boy wearing a dress in the school play. All the while king draft dodger has blonde hair plugs and an orange spray tan.
- Jocko - Friday, May 1, 26 @ 10:05 am:
The irony of tasking the Civil Rights division for this is simply delicious.
I challenge anyone at the DOJ (or MAGA) to explain how someone can be born intersex and whether or not students should be informed of this fact.
- Excitable Boy - Friday, May 1, 26 @ 10:07 am:
Dozens of my coworkers will be excited that they’re finally going to remove the litter boxes from their kids’ schools.
- NIU Grad - Friday, May 1, 26 @ 10:11 am:
I was trying to find a rhyme or reason with this list of schools…I have to agree this might be based more on tips and online chatter than anything else. Would be curious about other theories, especially leaving CPS and more progressive school districts around Chicagoland off the list.
- Candy Dogood - Friday, May 1, 26 @ 10:22 am:
I agree with the other commenters that suggest that this many actually be complaint driven. Quite a few of these schools are in counties that would be silly to intentionally target on the federal level. That wouldn’t stop a handful of lunatics going on a crusade against the Oregon Hawks who are teaching kids to identify as birds.
- hisgirlfriday - Friday, May 1, 26 @ 10:24 am:
Surprised to see Bloomington and Ridgeview on this list and not Unit5 (Normal) when Unit 5 is usually the focus of the McLean County rabble rousers worked up about school stuff.
Bummed that a portion of these unlucky school’s property taxes will not be going to classroom instruction and instead will have to go to lawyers to defend against an ideological Trump DOJ attack on them for political purposes
- Stephanie Kollmann - Friday, May 1, 26 @ 10:34 am:
I hope the AG and ISBE coordinate action on this to ensure districts do not have to rely on local resources and political will to defend themselves from the Trump Administration’s divide-and-conquer attacks.
The way DOJ (and other agencies’) BS “investigations” have been rolled out has resulted in “hypercompliance” by targeted institutions that achieves voluntary censorship and suppression well beyond what even the most conservative judge would require - and in this case could run afoul of IL law.
School districts absolutely should not be issuing statements about fully complying with the feds absent state guidance, IMO.
But the likelihood of biased local politics/spinelessness/lack of $ resources to fight looks to be part of the strategy of how districts were selected.
- Stephanie Kollmann - Friday, May 1, 26 @ 10:39 am:
And: school districts definitely should not be relying on their usual legal counsel for advice on how to deal with USDOJ.
That sector (education counsel) of the legal profession’s response to these attacks so far has been nothing short of shameful.
- Stephenson County - Friday, May 1, 26 @ 10:40 am:
I find it interesting that 5 of the school districts are in State Senator Chesney’s district, who is an Illinois Freedom Caucus member. Not a bastion of liberalism by any means. Waiting for him to comment on this.
- Stephanie Kollmann - Friday, May 1, 26 @ 10:46 am:
Sadly, Tom DeVore has been readmitted to the Bar, so I assume he is plotting how to spin this into some kind of Concerned Moms Compliance Grift
- old guy - Friday, May 1, 26 @ 10:51 am:
Maybe she can investigate evolution and whether they are teaching whether the world in round…
- Casper The Ghost Bus - Friday, May 1, 26 @ 10:58 am:
I have to wonder how much is being spent on federal agents to investigate Tamaroa 5 and its 96 students and roughly 10 teachers?
- Stephanie Kollmann - Friday, May 1, 26 @ 11:05 am:
=the likelihood of biased local politics/spinelessness/lack of $ resources to fight looks to be part of the strategy of how districts were selected.=
the reason I think there are other considerations superceding complaints is that complaints, like everything else, are concentrated (by volume but not per capita) in population centers
And yet look at (the absence of) BluePage districts where plenty of Moms4Liberty types live and presumably complain but do not control decisions and districts have more resources and political will to fight back
I highly doubt Noble Charter got these complaints
But DOJ is probably right that it’s unlikely to redirect cash to defense and liable to overcomply (absent the state stepping in)