Noose in York Classroom Draws Complaint

ELMHURST, IL – The head of an Elmhurst parents' rights group objected to a noose on display in a York High School classroom.

It is no longer in the classroom.

Earlier this month, Tom Chavez of Elmhurst Parents for Integrity in Curriculum brought the noose in social studies teacher Lindsey DiTomasso's classroom to the attention of the school's administration.

He said the school treated the noose in the classroom differently from the two found hanging on the bleachers at the football field last year.

At the time, Elmhurst police labeled the noose at the football field a potential hate crime. The police determined a York High School player put up the noose.

The player told police that he put up the noose as a symbol of the effects of keeping students from taking part in sports during the pandemic, authorities said. He was not charged.

With the latest noose, Chavez said the school should have provided oversight. He said the classroom noose must be "triggering" for students who have lost parents to suicide.

"The adult in the room was a student that reported it to me because they found it utterly offensive," Chavez said in an email to Patch.

Other teachers also use DiTomasso's classroom, and it was unclear whether the student who created the display belonged to DiTomasso's class. She declined to comment on the matter.

In a statement to Patch, Tonya Daniels, the spokeswoman for Elmhurst School District 205, acknowledged a parent brought concerns that the noose was "inappropriate symbolism."

She said the administration immediately reviewed the situation. That included meeting with the parent, engaging with staff and examining the project, she said.

"The student work was from a project in past years – the project no longer exists in the curriculum, and the student work is no longer on display in the classroom," Daniels said. "The District 205 administration and Board of Education do not tolerate hate of any form, whether explicit or implied."

Asked about the school's statement, Chavez called the noose "naked political activism, plain and simple."

"The canard that teachers shouldn't censor speech was used to hide an aggressive political statement," he said.

Chavez said the display was allowed because it aligns with the school's ideology and political messaging.

"The teacher(s), department chair, principal and/or the superintendent should have flagged the noose as inappropriate, and never allowed it to see the light of day at York or anywhere in an Elmhurst public school," Chavez said.

Chavez and members of his group contend the school is indoctrinating students with ideas such as critical race theory, which the district denies.

Last fall, Chavez objected to DiTomasso's use of Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States" in her social studies classes. To a biographer, Zinn once referred to himself as "something of a Marxist."

Supporters say the Zinn curriculum presents viewpoints from overlooked people in American history, particularly minorities. Its opponents counter the project's liberal bias ignores the virtues of the American experience.

After Chavez went public with his criticism, DiTomasso attracted support in the community. She also received a favorable tweet from comedian John Leguizamo.

Earlier this month, the DuPage Policy Journal, a conservative online publication, wrote about Chavez's complaint. The story gave no indication the publication attempted to seek comment from the district or DiTomasso.