Strong public schools that welcome and nurture every child and young person benefit all of us. And—because of that—public schools are one of the foundational institutions in our country that Trump and his anti-democratic lackeys are trying to destroy.

One method of destruction that Congress voted last month to roll out is a nationwide school voucher program.

Congress passed a massive and harmful bill in early July that includes sweeping cuts to essential programs that millions of people rely on every day. From healthcare and food assistance to housing, and clean energy investments, the harm done by this law will be felt in communities across the country—including in our public schools. To help break it all down, Citizen Action Illinois is holding a virtual briefing this coming Monday, Aug 11th at 11am with leading experts from the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness, Illinois Environmental Council, the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, and Illinois Families for Public Schools.

Despite months of organizing and a concerted last-ditch effort by Democratic Senators to stop it, a federal voucher program ended up in the final version of the reconciliation bill that narrowly passed both chambers earlier this month.

The US Senate could vote as early as Friday on the reconciliation bill that would harm so much of the fabric of our country, including the basics of food, healthcare, and, yes, public schools, in order to bankroll billionaires.

But, the exact contents of the bill on the Senate side are still fluid, and, as of this afternoon, some Republicans aren’t fully on board yet.

There's been lots of public education news in recent days. Below we cover three stories where your action is needed:

• Legislation to create national voucher program advances in the US House
• Fallout from the Powerschool data breach continues, but no movement on student data privacy bill in Springfield
• For-profit virtual counseling services in CPS endanger students' private data

Illinois Families for Public Schools sent a letter to the Chicago Board of Education today with a list of concerns about privacy and other issues with a new telehealth program where mental health services are provided by for-profit company Hazel Health. IL-FPS urges the Board to answer the questions posed in the letter and revise the consent forms that parents agree to when they sign their student up for services.

All over Illinois (and around the world!), people were in the streets again yesterday, this time for May Day, marching for workers, immigrants and the public good. Here’s three ways we can keep that energy going in the fight to defend our public schools…

The daily ramping up of authoritarianism by the Trump regime is distressing and daunting. And we’re seeing the impact of attacks on Illinois’ public schools, where federal funds are being slashed for everything from HVAC improvements to local foods in school cafeterias to National History Day. But there is also resistance taking place at all levels—including protecting public schools and public school students—that we must celebrate and build on.  

Deadlines in both chambers of the General Assembly this week mean it is crunch time in the Capitol (yes, again!) Some bills we are supporting and one we oppose are still being negotiated. This means that they’ve had initial committee votes, but need an amendment approved before getting a floor vote.

With the deadline to move out of one chamber to the other chamber this Friday, their fate is uncertain. Keep an eye out for witness slip alerts.

Spring has now officially sprung, and the Illinois General Assembly is in full swing. We’ll have a full legislative update with more action alerts for you for the upcoming week. Some bills need additional committee votes to get to the floor, including HB 2696, the student data privacy bill we're supporting. Check our social media feeds for info in the meantime: Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram.

Looking beyond the state legislature, on the political front and soon-to-be on the economic front, things are rough, and will probably get rougher all around, including for our public schools. Below are some opportunities to stand up, get involved and create community.