By WMBD TV
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Three Central Illinois school districts, under federal investigation regarding the use of sexual orientation and gender ideology content in classrooms, have said they will cooperate with the probe.
On Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department said it is looking at 36 Illinois public school districts to determine whether they used sexual orientation and gender ideology content in the classroom.
“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,” according a release announcing the probe. “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.”
In Central Illinois, the Justice Department is looking into the Bloomington Public Schools District 87, the Norwood Elementary School District 63 and Ridgeview Community Unit School District 19. The other districts are throughout the state.
Norwood Superintendent Jake Flowers emailed WMBD, saying they had gotten notice of the investigation on Thursday. He said he believed the districts were selected at random for a “compliance review.”
“We have no reason to believe that there was a complaint concerning our school district or that the selection of Norwood school district (as well as other school districts selected) otherwise suggests that DOJ officials have reason to believe there are any compliance issues,” Flowers said. “We also have every reason to believe that we are in compliance with Title IX and all other laws pertaining in schools. The school district will, of course, cooperate with the review.”
Gina Lavazza, a spokeswoman for Bloomington District 87, said the district respects its obligations under both state and federal law and will cooperate with the DOJ’s review.
“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,” said David Mouser, the district’s superintendent. “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.”
In its statement, the Justice Department said investigations were underway to determine whether the districts in question were complying with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Supreme Court’s extensive precedents on parental rights, as recently reiterated in Mirabelli v. Bonta and Mahmoud v. Taylor.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the department’s Civil Rights Division said the DOJ wants to “put an end to local school authorities keeping parents in the dark about how sexuality and gender ideology are being pushed in classrooms.
“Supreme Court precedent leaves no doubt: parents have the fundamental right and primary authority to direct the care, upbringing, and education of their children,” he said. “This includes exempting their children from ideological instruction that contradicts their values or decisions about their children’s health and best interests.”
WMBD TV first reported on the story. The original story can be found online at CIProud.com.
