Radio Host Blasts York High Teacher

ELMHURST, IL – A Chicago radio talk show host this week accused a York High School teacher of giving students false information and presenting the "latest iteration of Marxism."

Dan Proft, who has a big following among conservatives, told his listeners Monday that he obtained a recording of a teacher from Elmhurst's York High.

He said it was either Kelly DeLoriea or Lindsey DiTomasso, both American Studies teachers. (In a speech to the school board Tuesday, state Rep. Deanne Mazzochi said the teacher was DeLoriea.)

DiTomasso and DeLoriea declined to comment on Proft's criticism, saying all communications had to go through the Elmhurst School District 205's central office. A district spokeswoman said officials would not comment.

On his show, Proft said the teacher was talking about Thomas Jefferson and his ownership of slaves. The teacher talked about the founders generally, but never mentioned Jefferson or slavery in the audio played on air.

She said some people don't want stories about problems in the founding to be told. Such facts may come into conflict with the promises of the nation's founding documents, she said.

She was speaking about an assignment she wanted the students to complete.

"We say here are the facts. Here's a broad story, and here's how the reality of this country coming into being looked and what we've been trying to work toward ever since," the teacher said. "It's up to you to decide if we've gotten there or not... That's what we're asking you to reckon with."

After he played the recording, Proft said the teacher's lecture sounded "fair and square," telling "the good, the bad and the ugly." He said it asked students to reconcile the nation's founding documents with what actually followed.

But he said the teacher started from a "strawman premise."

"Some people don't want you to know that Thomas Jefferson owned slaves is essentially what she is saying," Proft said. "And that's just not true. Point me to any conservative anywhere, any parent anywhere who showed up at a school board meeting to address the critical race theory curriculum who said you're not allowed to say George Washington or Thomas Jefferson or any of the founding fathers owned slaves."

Proft said the teacher was presenting "false information as the way to get her students to believe a very narrow, hyper-politicized, identitarian perspective that is the latest iteration of Marxism and that should inform what they think about our country today."

At Tuesday's school board meeting, Tom Chavez, who heads Elmhurst Parents for Integrity in Curriculum, noted Proft's commentary.

"(The teacher) disparages Thomas Jefferson and strongly implies to students that there is a problem with the founding of the United States of America," he said.

Chavez said he knew of no parent who wanted to hide the facts about any part of American history.

"What we do not want is teachers creating false narratives to make an ideological or political statement," he said. "She is denigrating our country."

Proft apparently made no attempt to reach out to either teacher. He could not be reached for comment.