By: Diane Benjamin
Illinois passed a bill in 2015 to reform education. In 2014 the US Department of Education determined racist policies (civil rights violations) existed in Illinois schools. Who was president in 2014?
See the report from the Illinois Education Association dated January 2024 below.
I wonder if Unit 5 Board chair Alex Williams got his racist ideology from the 2014 actions of the feds? The petition calling for his resignation is up to 774 signers as of this morning: Petition for the resignation of Alex Williams
PDF page 3: (yes, the published report has a typo)
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This report examines the results of that law. Excerpt also from PDF page 3:
However, attacks on school personnel have almost doubled according to data collected by Illinois’ Student Incident Report System (ISBE, 2024). In addition, a national study conducted by McMahon and colleagues (2022) found that almost half of teachers and over 30% of other school personnel (i.e., administrators, school-based clinicians, paraprofessionals) indicated their desire or intention to quit or transfer schools due to concerns about school safety.
Excerpt from PDF page 4:
In the fall of 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 Illinois public school teachers were sent an email invitation to participate in this study. Prior to completing the survey, all participants were presented with an electronic consent form and agreed to informed consent before entering the survey. The consent form stated the purpose of the study, the requirements for participating, and that personally identifiable information would not be collected.
Excerpt PDF page 5:
Many teachers voiced concerns about the impact Senate Bill 100 had on their school’s ability to effectively handle student discipline and behavior issues.
Go to PDF pages 5-6 to see comments from teachers.
Now go to PDF page 7 for solutions IEA thinks should be implemented. Holding students accountable for violations isn’t a priority. The need for more money is of course necessary. In-school health centers and mental health evaluations are there too. (Illinois recently passed a law requiring mental health evaluations in schools. No need to wonder who thought that was a good idea.)
This is the only recommendation that protects students and teachers. Illinois needs to amend a law to allow it? 🤦♀️
I would ask, which is it – Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is violated if you don’t have racial quotas on discipline or Title VI is violated if you do have racial quotas on discipline?
On Jan. 8, 2014 Obama told schools he would end Federal funding for any school that had racially disproportionate discipline regardless of actual school policy and practice. It was based on the perceived violation of Title VI civil rights code. Unit 5 would be sanctioned today if this had held true.
However…
Trump ended this guidance in 2018 then Biden sort of reinstated it in 2023. Equity ideology helped Biden. Equity claims that all American institutions, especially education, are systemically racist. This is used as the predicate for – ANY racial disparity is because of explicitly or implicitly biased/racist teachers and administrators. (see various statements in Unit 5’s Equity Audit 2021, I have a copy) This belief needs to be proven but so far and unbelievably it hasn’t been.
Trump ended it again this past April 2025 saying schools could lose federal funding because of violation of, again, Title VI civil rights code.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/reinstating-common-sense-school-discipline-policies/.
“Section 1. Purpose and Policy. The Federal Government will no longer tolerate known risks to children’s safety and well-being in the classroom that result from the application of school discipline based on discriminatory and unlawful “equity” ideology.”
Illinois has ignored Trump’s warning, although Unit 5 has recently hidden their Equity statements. Discipline problems remain, teachers are quitting for fear or disgust, schools are unsafe, white and black children are being psychologically damaged.
Bottom line – The Supreme Court must decide whether only whites can be racist and therefore discriminate (Obama policy) or whether anybody can be racist, can discriminate and should be held accountable (Trump policy). If they don’t, politicians will continue to use race as a political tool for their own power. Nothing will change and our children and society will continue to suffer.
I can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am to my mother and step-father for spending extra money they didn’t have to send me to a private school for 13 years. I have daily reminders of the difference between the primary school education I got versus most people who went to a public school system. As I’ve gotten older, I realized I love my mother more and more because she sacrificed having a house until after I graduated to send me to that school.
I say all of this to ask a question. If the vast majority of public education is so ineffectual that it’s akin to putting out a forest fire with a super soaker, then why do we continue to let government take money from us, only to turn around and set it on fire? To me, it’s not even a matter of voting. Everyone talks about equity. Fine. How equitable is it to demand that people with no children pay for something that they get nothing in return for? What equity is there in demanding money from people for something that doesn’t work? How many older home/property owners could use that money to make repairs on their home, instead of watching the government burn it as soon as they get it?
Personally, I believe that taxes are theft. I realize that not everyone is ready to agree with that, but I see no harm in wanting to keep all of what you earn. We are not truly free, and we will have no real liberty, as long as we are forced to pay all of these ridiculous taxes with no real way to argue against them. Good luck everyone. We’re all going to need it.
I went to a private school as well for 4 years and don’t regret being there one bit.
JT JR I totally agree with your thoughts
And we have found that voting doesn’t do any good in Bloomington Normal the leftist head set will continue to tax us to death.
As I have stated so often our forefathers had the only solution dump the tea into the water and start a revolution how sad that it may come to that here.
Instead of starting a revolution it would be nice to have 100% of the property owners refuse to pay their taxes but unite and dare the powers in charge to try and take the first property the revolution will then begin!
JTJR. My parents sacrificed to put 4 kids through private school. I too appreciate them more for having the love and wisdom to do so. I truly hope more parents pull their children out of unsafe and ineffective public schools and Homeschool them.