Letter: Reject new education mandates

To the Editor:

On Feb. 16, the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules approved the Illinois State Board of Education’s proposed Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning Standards, which would apply to the issuance of all Illinois educator licenses.

The standards prioritize progressive ideologies over substantive instructional strategies for new teachers. It dictates that teachers “embrace and encourage progressive viewpoints and perspectives.” The existing Illinois civic law requires discussing current political controversies in class. In combination, the standards and civic law will convert K-12 schools into liberal political indoctrination camps.

The new standards also mandate teachers affirm a vast number of genders vs. the two specified by the Bible, science and common sense. Teacher preparation programs would be forced to teach the concepts of Critical Race Theory, systemic racism and white privilege.

This goes hand–in-hand with the 1619 project of revisionist history that the New York Times produced, saying that America was really founded in 1619 when the first African slaves arrived in the colonies and that America is based on slavery/racism. Five of the most prominent historians in the world soon trashed the project’s sloppy, ideologically-driven mistakes. A group of black historians including academics,columnists, business leaders and clergy countered with the real truth in the 1776 Initiative.

Slavery existed widely before America existed. America was born on July 4, 1776, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence which said that “all men are created equal.” While some slavery existed in early America, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution set forth the framework for eliminating it, which we did. America is based on freedom, not slavery/racism.

The new education mandates and the 1619 project reflect Marxist/socialist ideology and are wrong. They should be rejected.

Robert C. Lemke

Joliet