Awake Illinois and We Stand for Our Students have been busy advocating for you, our fellow parents, students, and citizens.
On Tuesday, Awake IL and WSOS Leadership attended the JCAR meeting where the Illinois State Board of Education was grilled on their latest abuse of power: revoking recognition status of schools and/or penalizing them if they don't follow the E.O. guidance. JCAR voted 10-0 (two abstained from voting) to pass a resolution that will require ISBE to get it's act together and cite actual rule (law) that allows them to coerce and penalize schools.
Law which we know (and they know) doesn't exist.
We were unable to provide public comment, however, we did speak to some members of JCAR and provided them with a hard copy of our statement and also copies of all correspondence we sent to the ISBE, all of which has gone unanswered.
This was a fascinating first-time glimpse for us into this form of government meeting. We especially liked talking to the Dept. of Revenue folks who were kind enough to answer our questions before the meeting. They (half?) joked, "Everyone hates us [dept. of revenue]".
We were grateful for the opportunity to connect with some legislators who are finally calling out the imbalance of government power. Special thanks to Steve Lucie who drive 4 hours from West Central Illinois. He is a calm, Americana voice of reason. We need more cowboys up North!
Yesterday, Tom Devore had two BIG wins on behalf of Illinoisans who support their state-protected rights. Thank you, Mr. Devore, for your tireless efforts! Stay tuned for more parents to rise up and take legal stand against this government abuse of power.
Today, we are sharing the phenomenal work of We Stand For Our Students. They also stand for educators and staff who want autonomy over their bodies and healthcare decisions. Please view the document below and consider donating to their legal efforts.