CHICAGO (WGN) — Illinois public schools are not changing curriculum as it relates to LGBTQ+ issues.
State Supt. Tony Sanders sent a message to school leaders last week, instructing them to continue teaching LGBTQ+, as well as Black and Asian American history. The state’s Inclusive Curriculum Law requires schools to accurately portray the contributions of people from all those groups.
“The study of the role and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people is American history. In other words, in Illinois, we strive to affirm, uplift, and support all our students and their families,” he wrote.
Sanders’ comments came in the wake of the federal Department of Education’s warning that schools risk losing federal funding if they continue with diversity initiatives.
He noted that a footnote on the warning states it “does not have the force and effect of law and does not bind the public or create new legal standards.”