TEUTOPOLIS…State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) continues to encourage parents, teachers, and community leaders to register their opinions with the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) that will consider a proposal on February 16, drafted by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), entitled: “Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning Standards.” A public forum is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 8 at 6:00 PM at Christ’s Church of Effingham located at 2511 S. Veterans Drive.
If adopted, these new guidelines will burden our teaching programs with additional mandates just at the time when Illinois is suffering from a shortage of teachers. At the start of the 2020 school year, there were 2,000 teacher vacancies reported in Illinois schools. With these new requirements, we risk increasing the teacher shortage and losing quality, new teachers. But what we’re really seeing here is not so much an attempt to expand our teacher rolls as it is a means by which those who set education policy are cementing social activism into our schools.
“About two-thirds of Illinois students failed to meet standards for math and English. This will further exacerbate that particular situation and put focus on activism and politicize our school districts all the way through academia, K-12 and then through the collegiate level as well so that will force folks to look to other states in order to provide education for their children,” Niemerg said.
A portion of the new standards call on teachers to “understand and value the notion that multiple lived experiences exist, that there is not one ‘correct’ way of doing or understanding something, and that what is seen as ‘correct’ is most often based on our lived experiences.”
Another provision calls on teachers to “(a)ssess how their biases and perceptions affect their teaching practice and how they access tools to mitigate their own behavior (racism, sexism, homophobia, unearned privilege, Eurocentrism, etc.)”
Yet another provision calls on educators to “(b)e aware of the effects of power and privilege and the need for social advocacy and social action to better empower diverse students and communities.”
State Rep. Adam Niemerg said teachers should already be making their students feel welcomed and accepted. But, the proposed rule, he said, compels teachers to promote progressive ideas while neglecting the basics.
There are twelve members on JCAR and it takes a vote of 8 to oppose the rules to defeat their implementation. House Republican member Adam Niemerg hopes JCAR will block the adoption of the proposed rules. Register your opinion with the members of the committee by contacting them directly.
CO-CHAIRMAN SENATOR BILL CUNNINGHAM (Dem-18)
10400 S. Western Ave. 329 State House
Chicago IL 60643 Springfield IL 62706
773/445-8128 217/782-5145
CO-CHAIRMAN REPRESENTATIVE KEITH WHEELER (Rep-50)
959 Oak Street 205N Stratton Building
North Aurora IL 60542 Springfield IL 62706
630/345-3464 217/782-1486
SENATOR JOHN CURRAN (Rep-41)
1011 State St. Suite 205 105A State Capitol
Lemont IL 60439 Springfield IL 62706
630/796-2623 217/782-9407
SENATOR KIMBERLY LIGHTFORD (Dem-4)
4415 W. Harrison 323B Capitol Building
Suite 550 Springfield IL 62706
Hillside IL 60154 217/782-8505
708/632-4500
SENATOR TONY MUNOZ (Dem-1)
1836 W. 35th Street 323 State House
Chicago IL 60609 Springfield IL 62706
773/869-9050 217/782-9415
SENATOR SUE REZIN (Rep-38)
103 5th Street 105C State House
Peru IL 61354 Springfield IL 62706
815/220-8720 217/782-3840
REPRESENTATIVE TOM DEMMER (Rep-90)
105 E. 1st 314 Capitol Building
Dixon IL 61021 Springfield IL 62706
815/561-3690 217/782-0535
REPRESENTATIVE MIKE HALPIN (Dem-72)
1054 3rd Ave., 2nd Floor 272S Stratton Bldg.
County Office Building Springfield IL 62706
Rock Island IL 61201 217/782-5970
309/558-3612
REPRESENTATIVE FRANCES ANN HURLEY (Dem-35)
10400 S. Western Ave. 281S Stratton Building
Chicago IL 60643 Springfield IL 62706
773/445-8128 217/782-8200
REPRESENTATIVE STEVEN REICK (Rep-63)
1072 Lake Avenue 225N Stratton Bldg.
Woodstock IL 60098 Springfield IL 62706
815/880-5340 217/782-1717
REPRESENTATIVE ANDRE THAPEDI (Dem-32)
371 E. 75th St. 247E Stratton Bldg.
Chicago IL 60619 Springfield IL 62706
773/873-4444 217/782-1702
