Conservative Elmhurst Parents Band Together

ELMHURST, IL — A group of conservative parents in Elmhurst School District 205 have banded together and formed a Facebook page and website.

The parents said they want to hold Elmhurst School District 205 accountable and promote a "diverse marketplace of ideas."

The group is called Elmhurst Parents for Integrity in Curriculum, or EPIC. Its administrators are Elmhurst Alderman Mark Mulliner, Elmhurst resident Tom Chavez and Lombard resident William Gebel Jr.

The group, which started three weeks ago, has drawn 120 members. While the group's posts are decidedly conservative, its mission statement says it welcomes people of all political affiliations.

Mulliner, who lost his bid for mayor last year, took part in an anti-mask mandate protest in November. Mulliner, who created the Facebook group, is a former director of technology for District 205.

Chavez, meanwhile, contends critical race theory is being taught in Elmhurst's public schools, which the district denies. He said he is considering running for school board next year.

The group said it wants the district to treat children as individuals, not categorizing them by race, class, sex, religion or ethnicity, to assign to them the role of oppressor or victim.

"We reject efforts to indoctrinate rather than educate our children in the classroom," the group's mission statement says. "We call for intellectual honesty, and a diverse marketplace of ideas, that encourages students to exercise their independent judgment."

The statement also says, "We will promote academic achievement that is earned, not participation trophies. We reject conflating equality of opportunity with equities in outcome."

In a recent news release, the group called for a thorough curriculum review, with parental involvement and "meaningful" community oversight, on subjects such as math, English, science and social studies.

The local group is part of a growing movement across the country that calls for parents' rights and asserts critical race theory is endemic in public schools. Such organizations also oppose mask mandates.

The Facebook page promotes the policies of Republican politicians such as state Rep. Deanne Mazzochi of Elmhurst, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.