Elmhurst Parents 'Kept In Dark' On Teacher Training: Group

ELMHURST, IL – A leader in an Elmhurst parents group said Tuesday that families have been "kept in the dark" about teacher training that he contends pushes critical race theory.

Tom Chavez of Elmhurst Parents for Integrity in Curriculum, or EPIC, spoke at Tuesday's meeting of the Elmhurst School District 205 board.

He noted the district's rejection of Patch's public records request for the materials from Corwin, a publishing company.

The documents for Corwin's "Deep Equity" program were used in teacher training, costing taxpayers $46,000 last year.

In keeping the records under wraps, the district cited the trade secrets exception to the state's open records law. The district said Corwin owns or holds all the rights to the training materials.

Patch requested the documents after Chavez and other residents spoke about the Corwin training at a recent board meeting.

At Tuesday's session, Chavez said he believed the vast majority of parents would want to know what's in the training.

"Should the board of education allow for use in our schools teaching and instructional materials purchased through a third-party vendor that require parents be kept in the dark?" Chavez asked.

He also said he wondered whether the board authorized the purchase of the "Deep Equity" training with the knowledge that parents would be kept out of the loop.

Chavez said the Corwin training is more evidence that shows the district is advocating critical race theory in schools.

"The core premise of the Deep Equity program is white people are collectively bound and unavoidably complicit in the arrangement of dominance that systemically favors (one) racial group over others and that student achievement is suppressed by white privilege," Chavez said.

The board did not address Chavez's statement. Its policy states members should not interact with commenters.

Earlier in the meeting, board President Kara Caforio said the district is now making new instructional materials available online. She said online forms allow residents to give feedback.

The district denies it is teaching critical race theory.