The Illinois General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) was expected to vote during the General Assembly’s lame duck session on whether to uphold or reject controversial new teaching standards some say would require teachers to abandon their religious beliefs. Now the vote has been put on hold.
At a Dec. 16 JCAR meeting, the committee voted to approve the standards for a second 45-day public comment period. Bob Vanden Bosch, executive director of Concerned Christian Ministries, reported Jan. 6 that JCAR will not be voting on Jan. 12 as expected due to “technical requirements.” He suggested the standards would be voted on the next time the committee meets. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) adopted the standards after the December meeting.
The “Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading” standards touch on issues such as sexual orientation, gender identity, and race-based privilege in what supporters call an effort to encourage support for diversity in school age children. (Read more about the controversial standards here.)
If approved, the standards would take effect Oct. 1, 2021.
JCAR co-chairs are Senators Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago), office phone (773) 445-8128, and Keith Wheeler (R-North Aurora), office phone (630) 345-3464.