An Illinois faculty district crammed with school who celebrated and hoped for the demise of Charlie Kirk was uncovered for his or her 2026 fairness framework plan the district “aspires to” that features hiring and retaining employees with “various backgrounds” and mandated DEI coaching periods for school and college students.
Defending Training uncovered Oswego District 308’s fairness roadmap by means of a number of Freedom of Info Act (FOIA) requests, which dropped at gentle an annual report abstract on DEI in addition to the district’s DEI plan for 2026.
One FOIA request detailing an fairness report confirmed {that a} center faculty within the district divided college students by racial background, with out notifying dad and mom, as a part of fairness coaching periods for employees in 2025.
The fairness director wrote after the session, which was held throughout “Scholar Assist Time,” that she recognized the “challenges with being discriminated towards based mostly on shade” and that her subsequent session could be with “those that determine as White.”
Erika Sanzi, senior director of communications at Defending Training, instructed Fox Information Digital that the district’s transfer to divide college students into races could possibly be thought-about “segregation.”
“Calling it a racial affinity group is only a nicer means of claiming racial segregation—these fairness assemblies that divide up college students by their pores and skin shade are with out justification, to not point out unlawful,” Sanzi defined. “Whatever the intention, the ideology behind race-based packages and actions in colleges is damaging and must be rooted out.”
The fairness report additionally confirmed that prime faculty departments held “particular content material/fairness” trainings, the place college students may interact in alternatives like a lunch and study “LGBTQ+, Migroaggressions, Ramadan.”
Following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a report from the Kendall County Instances revealed that Jadon A. Waller, the district’s superintendent of fairness and engagement of grades Ok-8, posted to Fb referring to Kirk as a “modern-day Klans man.”
“I’m seeing quite a lot of Black of us on right here interjecting themselves into the demise of a modern-day Klans man… and I’ve to say I’m confused and upset. Who’re you attempting to make snug? Trigger it’s making me uncomfortable.”
Waller posted below the title Ashley Jadon on Fb, in response to the report.
Per the college district’s web site, Waller remains to be employed at Oswego District 308.
Waller didn’t reply to Fox Information Digital’s request for remark.
As for the 2026 outlook, the report confirmed plans for DEI coaching in elementary and center colleges and a DEI Design Workforce to “analyze and handle inequities inside scholar educational achievement” and scholar self-discipline.
In an “indicators of success” rubric the place outcomes might be mirrored within the following yr’s report, the district requires elementary and junior highschool’s trainer leaders and directors to “facilitate at the least two of their very own DEI trainings by the tip of the yr.”
The Illinois faculty district additionally plans to “associate with surrounding districts and Waubonsee Neighborhood School to host our 1st DEI Convention referred to as ASCEND!”
One fairness assertion says the district “will acknowledge the existence of racism in our colleges and group,” and “we are going to handle injustices that result in racial inequities and work to teach and alter behaviors” to advertise inclusivity.
Along with pushing DEI within the classroom, the recruitment and retention portion of the plan pushes the district to “prioritize” various hires.
“We’ll prioritize the recruitment, retention, and development of directors and employees with various backgrounds to make sure our workforce of educators displays our scholar physique,” the framework reads.
A job posting for a highschool principal within the faculty district obtained by Defending Training says “the fitting candidate” ought to be “prioritizing fairness and rightful presence… throughout the district.”
Oswego District 308’s dedication to DEI doesn’t cease there. The district proposed a $75,000 grant to the Board of Training to determine a partnership with a company for a residency program that “recruits and retains new lecturers who mirror the racial, cultural, and linguistic variety of the communities we serve.”
From October 2023 to March 2024, throughout a earlier partnership between the district and a separate group, the college district spent taxpayer {dollars} on DEI provides, together with delight parade stickers and a delight parade payment to take part.
The earlier partnership held coaching periods for district personnel and college students the place individuals have been requested to learn “How Privileged Am I” and rank themselves on how privileged they’re.
“Generate a privilege listing associated to P-12 settings for the scholar and grownup educator group assigned to your workforce by itemizing methods college students and adults might expertise techniques of benefits or rights which might be obtainable to them solely based mostly on their social identities,” the coaching directions learn.
Whereas these coaching periods have been held within the Illinois faculty district, the group carries out related workout routines by means of partnerships with state and native academic companies throughout the nation.
Oswego District 308 didn’t reply to Fox Information Digital’s request for remark.
