The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division has launched an investgation into how some Illinois schools are teaching sex ed and whether they limit sports participation and bathroom use based on gender.
The investigation spans 36 preK-12 school districts across the state. The closest school district being investigated to Springfield is, Gillespie Community Unit School District 7, which is about 50 miles south.
According to a news release from the Department of Justice, the investigation focuses on whether the schools have notified parents of their right to opt their children out of instruction on the topics of sexual orientation and gender ideology and whether schools are limiting access to bathrooms, locker rooms and 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,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in the release. “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.”
No conclusions have been reached.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin called it a “sham investigation” and criticized the Trump administration for failure to support programs that support and empower students.
“I can save DOJ some time,” Durbin said in a news release. “Their investigators will find 36 Illinois school districts dedicated to providing their students with a good, well-rounded education.
“If the Trump Administration truly cared about supporting Illinois students and their education, it would reverse the decision to dismantle the Department of Education, finally support Head Start programs, and stop attacking Title I funding and the rights of LGBTQ+ students.
“Instead, this President is once again weaponizing DOJ to carry out a sham investigation against a state that did not vote for him in the 2024 election.”
School districts under investigation include:
Corina Curry is the editor of the Rockford Register Star.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: DOJ investigating Illinois schools on sex, gender in classroom, sports
Reporting by Corina Curry, Rockford Register Star / Rockford Register Star
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