The US Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division launched investigations into 36 Illinois public school districts to determine whether they have included sexual orientation and gender ideology (SOGI) content in any class for grades pre-K-12.
Local this investigation includes Leyden High School District 212, as well as Ridgewood and Elmwood Park High Schools.
If they are teaching SOGI-related content, the investigations will examine whether the schools have notified parents of their right to opt their children out of such instruction. The investigation will also assess whether the Illinois School Districts limit access to single-sex intimate spaces (such as bathrooms and locker rooms) and girls’ sports teams based on biological sex.
“This Department of Justice is determined to put an end to local school authorities keeping parents in the dark about how sexuality and gender ideology are being pushed in classrooms,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Supreme Court precedent leaves no doubt: parents have the fundamental right and primary authority to direct the care, upbringing, and education of their children. This includes exempting their children from ideological instruction that contradicts their values or decisions about their children’s health and best interests.”
The investigations will examine whether these Illinois School Districts, which are recipients of hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer funding, are adhering to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Supreme Court’s extensive precedents on parental rights as recently reiterated in Mirabelli v. Bontaand Mahmoud v. Taylor.
The Civil Rights Division has not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigations.
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 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 Noble Network of Charter Schools, which runs 17 high schools and one middle school in Chicago, is among those under investigation. A spokesperson for the operator said they didn’t have a comment at this time.
Chicago-area districts under investigation include Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123, Elmwood Park Community Unit School District 401 and Thornton Fractional Township High School District 215.
A spokesperson for District 215 said its attorney was reviewing the department’s correspondence but didn’t have further comment. The other two districts did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
The Justice Department didn’t outline what sparked the investigations or how it chose those districts out of the hundreds in Illinois. A department spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about the investigations.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said in a statement that the department is determined “to put an end to local authorities keeping parents in the dark” about how sexuality and gender identity are “being pushed” in classrooms.
“Parents have the fundamental right and primary authority to direct the care, upbringing, and education of their children,” Dillon wrote. “This includes exempting their children from ideological instruction that contradicts their values or decisions about their children’s health and best interests.”
The Trump administration has wielded the threat of pulling federal funding to change school policies it disagrees with, but the Justice Department’s involvement in matters related to school curriculum appears to be a relatively new strategy. In February the department announced similar investigations into school districts in Michigan.
The investigations follow a pattern of attempts by the Trump administration to strip protections for LGBTQ+ students enacted by school districts across the country. It’s also taken aim at diversity, equity and inclusion programs, such as Chicago Public Schools’ Black Student Success plan.
The Department of Education announced last year that it was investigating CPS over whether the district’s policies allowing student locker room access that aligns with their gender identity violated Title IX.
The administration has also shown support for parental rights advocates who were handed a victory last year by the Supreme Court in Mahmoud v. Taylor. Parents in Montgomery County, Maryland sued the school district after it prevented them from opting their children out of lessons featuring LGBTQ characters and themes.
Parents argued the teachings went against their religious beliefs and they should be allowed to opt out. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the parents.
It led to concerns that some schools would choose to forsake certain lessons and materials to reduce the likelihood of opt-outs, decreasing the diversity of curriculums.
BS in Environmental Engineering from Northwestern University's McCormick College of Engineering
MBA from DePaul University's Kellstadt's College of Business
JD from DePaul University's College of Law
Website: www.attorneymccampbell.com
Roy F. McCampbell's Blog 
Justice Department Launches Investigations Concerning Gender Ideology in Pre-K-12 Schools in 36 Illinois School Districts including Leyden SD 212, Ridgewood and Elmwood Park High Schools
The US Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division launched investigations into 36 Illinois public school districts to determine whether they have included sexual orientation and gender ideology (SOGI) content in any class for grades pre-K-12.
Local this investigation includes Leyden High School District 212, as well as Ridgewood and Elmwood Park High Schools.
If they are teaching SOGI-related content, the investigations will examine whether the schools have notified parents of their right to opt their children out of such instruction. The investigation will also assess whether the Illinois School Districts limit access to single-sex intimate spaces (such as bathrooms and locker rooms) and girls’ sports teams based on biological sex.
“This Department of Justice is determined to put an end to local school authorities keeping parents in the dark about how sexuality and gender ideology are being pushed in classrooms,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Supreme Court precedent leaves no doubt: parents have the fundamental right and primary authority to direct the care, upbringing, and education of their children. This includes exempting their children from ideological instruction that contradicts their values or decisions about their children’s health and best interests.”
The investigations will examine whether these Illinois School Districts, which are recipients of hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer funding, are adhering to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Supreme Court’s extensive precedents on parental rights as recently reiterated in Mirabelli v. Bontaand Mahmoud v. Taylor.
The Civil Rights Division has not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigations.
The Illinois School Districts under investigation include:
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.
The Trump administration has used the term“gender ideology” to call into question the existence of transgender people and gender identities. Top federal officials have spent the last year working to eliminate instruction about and recognition of trans people in K-12 schools, including by seeking to strip federal funds from schools that teach about trans youth in federally funded sex ed classes or allow trans students to play on sports teams that match 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 Noble Network of Charter Schools, which runs 17 high schools and one middle school in Chicago, is among those under investigation. A spokesperson for the operator said they didn’t have a comment at this time.
Chicago-area districts under investigation include Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123, Elmwood Park Community Unit School District 401 and Thornton Fractional Township High School District 215.
A spokesperson for District 215 said its attorney was reviewing the department’s correspondence but didn’t have further comment. The other two districts did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
The Justice Department didn’t outline what sparked the investigations or how it chose those districts out of the hundreds in Illinois. A department spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about the investigations.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said in a statement that the department is determined “to put an end to local authorities keeping parents in the dark” about how sexuality and gender identity are “being pushed” in classrooms.
“Parents have the fundamental right and primary authority to direct the care, upbringing, and education of their children,” Dillon wrote. “This includes exempting their children from ideological instruction that contradicts their values or decisions about their children’s health and best interests.”
The Trump administration has wielded the threat of pulling federal funding to change school policies it disagrees with, but the Justice Department’s involvement in matters related to school curriculum appears to be a relatively new strategy. In February the department announced similar investigations into school districts in Michigan.
The investigations follow a pattern of attempts by the Trump administration to strip protections for LGBTQ+ students enacted by school districts across the country. It’s also taken aim at diversity, equity and inclusion programs, such as Chicago Public Schools’ Black Student Success plan.
The Department of Education announced last year that it was investigating CPS over whether the district’s policies allowing student locker room access that aligns with their gender identity violated Title IX.
Less than a month into his second term, Trump issued an executive order threateningto withhold federal funding from schools that allow trans girls to play on women’s sports teams. His administration has sued states for not complying.
Illinois has followed its state laws prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity, requiring schools to protect transgender students’ right to use facilities and participate in events and programs that match their gender identity.
The administration has also shown support for parental rights advocates who were handed a victory last year by the Supreme Court in Mahmoud v. Taylor. Parents in Montgomery County, Maryland sued the school district after it prevented them from opting their children out of lessons featuring LGBTQ characters and themes.
Parents argued the teachings went against their religious beliefs and they should be allowed to opt out. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the parents.
It led to concerns that some schools would choose to forsake certain lessons and materials to reduce the likelihood of opt-outs, decreasing the diversity of curriculums.
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BS in Environmental Engineering from Northwestern University's McCormick College of Engineering MBA from DePaul University's Kellstadt's College of Business JD from DePaul University's College of Law Website: www.attorneymccampbell.com