No 'Racial Self-Assessment' In York High Class: District

ELMHURST, IL – State Rep. Deanne Mazzochi, an Elmhurst Republican, contended last month that local efforts to obtain a "racial self-assessment" in a York High School class were unsuccessful.

On Friday, though, Elmhurst School District 205 said it had no record of such an assessment in an American studies class taught by Kelly DeLoriea.

This statement was in response to Patch's public records request. The district has declined to comment further on the matter.

At a July school board meeting, Mazzochi said she had struggled to get materials from DeLoriea's class.

"I was repeatedly denied, had obstacles raised at every turn. Why is that? Does the board even know?" Mazzochi said. "You can't keep hiding this stuff."

She said an administrator said the school would pull the racial self-assessment. She said she appreciated that decision, but asked for the reason behind the secrecy.

Mazzochi did not explain why the racial self-assessment may be inappropriate.

Through a spokeswoman, Mazzochi told Patch that using the words "syllabus" or "racial self-assessment" in a public records request would likely yield the records in question.

The district said it had no records for a racial self-assessment, but it provided a syllabus for the American studies class.

The syllabus is for the four teachers who teach American studies – DeLoriea, Lindsey DiTomasso, Charlie Kern and Rebecca McKinney.

Critics have suggested the class has been used as a way to indoctrinate students with critical race theory. The district said the theory is not taught in local schools.

The class is divided into four units.

The first one is called "Historiography/American Revolution/Western Expansion." It is described as answering "What are core American values? Which do we question and which do we not? Where do these values come from?"

The second unit is titled "The American Dream and Race in America," asking "How does race complicate the American Story?"

The third, "The American Dream and Economic Justice," inquires, "How do we rebuild the American Dream to include economic justice for all?"

The final unit, "Foreign Policy & Conflict," asks "To what extent do American policies correlate with American values?"

The final project involves asking students about what it means to be an American citizen in today's society.

The course description states, "Rather than memorizing names and dates, we will study our history through the stories, not just of the leaders, but also of ordinary people who did extraordinary things to help build this country."

It also says, "What exactly is 'America'? How has the study of our history changed over time? What are the boundaries and meanings of American citizenship? Who is 'American' and who determines that? We don’t shy away from these hard questions in American Studies. We engage in activities and difficult national conversations concerning a variety of historical and current political, social, and economic issues."