(The Center Square) – A social welfare advocacy group has filed a federal complaint against the Illinois State Board of Education alleging discrimination.
The federal civil rights complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education by Awake Illinois alleges ISBE is discriminating on the basis of race for funding “affinity groups,” or groups focused on racial identity and other factors.
Awake Illinois’s complaint lays out how ISBE facilitated funding through Teach Plus for “educators who identify as people of Color” and provided leadership coaching and a $2,500 stipend. The complaint further states that ISBE announced $2 million to support and retain teachers of color.”
“[D]iscrimination on the basis of race raises concerns that the IL State Board of Education has received federal funds in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which declares that ‘no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance,’” the complaint says. “Excluding teachers from state-funded ‘affinity groups’ because of their race blatantly violates the Equal Protection Clause.”
The group further says if ISBE wants to fund education initiatives, it can, but says “[w]hat it can’t do is use race to favor certain educators at the expense of equal opportunity for others.”
“Given the $2.25 billion of federal funding that has been requested from ISBE, fiscal stewardship would demand no funds be appropriated to unconstitutional programming,” the complaint said. “To do so puts those federal funds in jeopardy.”
Awake Illinois asks the U.S. Department of Education to “promptly investigate the allegations,” “act swiftly” and “order appropriate relief.”
Shannon Adcock, president of Awake Illinois, revealed the complaint against ISBE during the board’s Wednesday’s meeting at the Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 222.
“This is our first civil rights complaint against the Illinois State Board of Education,” Adcock said. “We have a stack in cue to hold public education accountable to the children. Where many people in the state have stopped fighting for kids, we at Awake Illinois cannot and will not stop speaking for children.”
She told board members the millions of dollars used to promote teachers based on race or identity violates civil rights laws and crowds out money for teaching children.
“Money funneled into educator affinity groups is not helping children, including Black or Hispanic students who have shown no change in the performance gap in 20 years,” Adcock said.
An ISBE spokesperson told The Center Square it “cannot comment on matters pending before the Office of Civil Rights.”
