Prairie State Wire

Shannon Adcock, founder of Awake Illinois, announced in a post on X the filing of a federal complaint against the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). She said that Awake Illinois would continue advocating for students "although many in Illinois have stopped."

"Where many in Illinois have stopped fighting for kids, Awake Illinois has not and will not stop speaking for students," said Adcock.

According to Adcock, the complaint, filed on March 10, alleges racial discrimination in violation of both Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. At a meeting on March 12, she informed ISBE about the complaint and said, "given the $2.25 billion of federal funding that has been requested from ISBE, fiscal stewardship would demand no funds be appropriated to unconstitutional programming."

Screenshot of Shannon Adcock's March 12 post on X. | X

In a letter to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, Adcock wrote that Awake Illinois makes the complaint as an interested social welfare nonprofit organization with members who are parents and educators in Illinois. The complaint points to an initiative promoted and funded via Teach Plus, which leads group programming for educators identifying as people of color. This affinity group is intended to inform local district leaders on improving working conditions for teachers of color. The organization requested that the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights investigate these allegations and act swiftly to address unlawful policies and practices.

Adcock is also known as the founder and president of Awake Illinois, established in May 2021 to advocate for parental rights, educational transparency, and civic engagement. A native of Illinois and a graduate from the University of Illinois in 2002, she resides in Naperville with her husband and three children. Her activism began with efforts to reopen public schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although she initially ran for a position on the Indian Prairie School District 204 Board of Education in 2020, she later withdrew to focus on statewide advocacy efforts. These experiences led her to establish Awake Illinois and subsequently Awake Americans, a nonprofit aimed at empowering citizens through advocacy.