'Racial Self-Assessment' An Issue In Elmhurst D-205: Official

ELMHURST, IL – State Rep. Deanne Mazzochi said last week she repeatedly tried to obtain a "racial self-assessment" that she said a York High School teacher gave to students.

But she said at an Elmhurst School District 205 board meeting that officials obstructed her.

"You can't keep hiding this stuff," she told the board.

She made the allegation in the same speech in which she denounced Kelly DeLoriea, an American studies teacher at York.

Over the last year, Mazzochi, an Elmhurst Republican, said she repeatedly asked to be provided with the text and instructional materials in DeLoriea's class.

"I was repeatedly denied, had obstacles raised at every turn. Why is that? Does the board even know?" Mazzochi said.

She also referred to a public records request, using the acronym for the Freedom of Information Act.

"The district was also FOIA'd in the summer of 2021 to ascertain what exactly was the racial self-assessment that students were going to be obligated to engage in what was reflected in the York syllabus for this class," Mazzochi said. "The district refused to answer."

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

Mazzochi did not explain why the racial self-assessment may be inappropriate. But as with other residents, she only got three minutes to speak at the meeting.

Patch filed a public records request for any request by Mazzochi about the assessment and the district's response to it.

It also sought any correspondence indicating the district was pulling the assessment.

On Wednesday, the district responded that it had no records responsive to Patch's requests.

In an email Thursday, Mazzochi's spokeswoman, Amy Shanks, said the lawmaker did not personally submit the Freedom of Information Act request; another Elmhurst resident did.

"They reached out to her about the response they got, which they considered to be a brush-off," Shanks said.

Patch plans to file a public records request for requests from others about the assessment.

In recent months, Mazzochi has criticized the school district, calling for the superintendent to "clean house." She also aligned herself with a parents group that alleges the district indoctrinates students with ideas such as Marxism and critical race theory.

At last week's meeting, Mazzochi noted a recorded classroom "rant" by DeLoriea, which a Chicago radio station played. She said DeLoriea has been the target of complaints about inappropriate bias in her lessons.

DeLoriea declined to comment on Mazzochi's speech. Neither the teachers union nor the district has publicly weighed in on the lawmaker's criticism.