Originally published on May 27, 2021 1:35 pm
Democratic state lawmakers want to adopt state sex education standards that are aligned with a national model. But Republicans say the national standards would require teachers to present explicit material at too young an age.
In Illinois, public schools aren’t required to offer sex education courses. Earlier in the spring legislative session, State Rep. Kathleen Willis (D-Addison) proposed mandating sex ed and aligning that curriculum with culturally competent and medically accurate standards.
“Things are not being taught in schools and students are exploring the Internet on their own and they can end up with misinformation, and that is not what we want to see,” Willis said at a House committee hearing earlier this week.
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Opponents say autonomy for local schools is at risk now that a bill has passed the House that would put reopening decisions in the hands of the governor in an emergency situation like this and other pandemics.
HB 2789 allows the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to authorize protocols on any school in the state, including private schools and home schooling, in the name of public safety.
Shannon Adcock, a parent who ran for Indian Prairie School District 204, said the bill is an overreach. HB 2789, which is now assigned to Senate Committee, is a radical bill that is heavily backed by the teachers union and woke ideologues plain and simple. I encourage people to look at the proponents of the bill and ask yourself, Why are these groups wanting to exert control over religious-based/private/homeschool instruction? Adcock said.