Prairie State Wire

Awake Illinois has filed a civil rights complaint against the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). The complaint was announced at the board's monthly meeting and submitted on March 10, 2025. Shannon Adcock, President of Awake Illinois, said that the complaint accuses ISBE of racial discrimination, violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

The complaint focuses on a $1 million appropriation for "affinity group" programming through Teach Plus. It alleges that this program uses race to favor certain educators, potentially compromising equal opportunity. Adcock remarked, "Given Idle S2.25 billion of federal finding that has been requested from ISBE, fiscal stewardship would demand no funds be appropriated to unconstitutional programming. To do so puts those federal funds in jeopardy."

The document is publicly available at www.awakeil.com and has been assigned a case number by the Office for Civil Rights in Chicago.

Awake Illinois argues that ISBE promotes programs benefiting educators who identify as people of color, offering training and stipends to facilitators. Exhibit A details these initiatives and notes a $2 million effort launched in 2022 to support teachers of color.

According to Awake Illinois, some affinity groups are exclusively open to educators of color, focusing on racial identity and intersectionality markers. Teach Plus describes one group as providing a space for Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) educators to address challenges faced in education.

The complaint includes evidence such as website snapshots and Google forms. Awake Illinois contends that excluding teachers from state-funded groups based on race violates constitutional protections against discrimination.

Adcock emphasized that while funding educator initiatives is permissible, using race as a criterion undermines equal opportunity. She urged an investigation into these allegations and requested swift action to rectify any unlawful practices.

Shannon M. Adcock signed off as Founder and President of Awake Illinois.

Information from this article can be found here.