Group files federal discrimination complaint against IL State Board of
Ed
[March 13, 2025]
By Greg Bishop | The Center Square
(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.”
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Members of the Illinois State Board of Education at Plainfield
Community Consolidated School District 222 Wednesday, March 12, 2025
- ISBE.net
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."
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