Throughout the country and in Illinois, we have seen the rise of well-funded disinformation campaigns targeting school boards and educators on issues including: covid mitigation measures; diversity-equity-inclusion programs; accurate information in teaching about race and racial injustice in the present and past; support and civil rights of LGBTQ+ students; comprehensive sex education; and more.
These campaigns are often not truly grassroots, but funded by organizations on the right that have long supported privatizing and defunding the public school system, with support for vouchers, charters and funding cuts.
In response, around the state, parents and others have been organizing in their communities. They've been standing up for inclusion, safety, fact-based curricula in order to ensure all students are provided with an educational environment where they can flourish and to defend the public good that is a thriving public school system.
Below we have resources to support you in this work, and we'll be adding more in the coming weeks and months. Please reach out if you have questions or want help connecting with others in your community engaging in similar efforts! Email us at [email protected] and sign up below to get on our mailing list.
Confronting the Rise of School Board Disruptions - Jan 27 2002
This virtual event by IL-FPS and Indivisible IL and an array of state and local cosponsors covered: Who’s behind the disinformation campaign around masks/vaccines mandates, an erosion of LGBTQ+ rights and the way race is being taught in our schools? How can we band together to support our school boards and staff who are being threatened and to protect public education?
Find the slides for the presentations here
Toolkit of resources in doc form
Watch the recording here or on YouTube: