Press Release: Awake Illinois Expands DOJ Submission Portal to Every Illinois School District
Naperville, Illinois —Awake Illinois has expanded its secure submission portal at www.awakeIL.com/DOJ from the original 36 districts under federal review to every public school district in Illinois. The expansion, made at the request of members and supported by a grant, lets parents, teachers, and school staff anywhere in the state send documentation that may violate parental rights and Title IX compliance.
In April, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division opened formal investigations of 36 Illinois public school districts concerning sexual orientation and gender ideology content in pre-K through 12th grade classrooms, including whether parents were notified of opt-out rights. Those probes also examine whether districts are protecting single-sex intimate spaces and girls’ sports teams on the basis of biological sex. Awake Illinois has been supporting that effort by collecting records and forwarding vetted materials to the Civil Rights Division.
The portal now accepts submissions from all Illinois districts, not only the 36 already under investigation. Useful materials include lesson plans, classroom materials, emails, training slides, gender-support plans, and facility or sports policies. Submissions can be made without a name. An email address is required only so reviewers can ask follow-up questions. Not every submission is guaranteed to be forwarded. People who cannot use the form may email materials to info@awakeIL.com.
“Illinois parents should not have to wait for the next investigation to document what is happening in their schools,” said Shannon Adcock, president of Awake Illinois. “If a district is teaching gender ideology without notice, socially transitioning a student without telling the family, or placing males in girls’ bathrooms, locker rooms, or sports, those records belong in front of federal civil rights investigators. The portal is now open to every district in the state.”
The expansion comes as Illinois ranks 50th — ahead only of the District of Columbia — on Defending Education’s 2026 Rankings on Integrity in State Education. The index scores states on gender and sexuality policy, DEI content, parental rights, teacher and union rules, and foreign influence. Illinois scored 6 percent on gender and sexuality policy and 13 percent on parental rights, including no requirement that schools notify parents when a child is socially transitioned. The state spends roughly $25,000 to $26,100 per pupil, yet 2024 NAEP results showed only about 30 percent of fourth-graders proficient in reading and 38 percent proficient in math.
Awake Illinois has already filed federal civil rights complaints against the Illinois State Board of Education and districts including Naperville 203, Valley View 365U, Deerfield 109, District 128, and Algonquin District 300, alleging Title IX violations and policies that socially transition students without parental consent. In May 2026 the organization filed five additional complaints with the Justice Department, running parallel to the investigations of the 36 districts. It is also supporting federal lawsuits in Valley View 365U, Deerfield District 109, and Algonquin District 300.
Parents and staff with documented violations can submit them now at www.awakeIL.com/DOJ.
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