Illinois school districts are now deciding whether or not to opt out of the state's new sex education policy for young children. | Pexels.com / Cottonbro
Illinois school districts are now deciding whether or not to opt out of the state's new sex education policy for young children. | Pexels.com / Cottonbro
Forty-six school districts in South Cook are mum on Illinois’ new law that aligns sex education policies for grades K-12 with national standards.
In South Cook as of June 18, 19 of its school districts said they would opt out of the provisions for younger children, while 46 have yet to report a decision. The new law, which the state Legislature passed in the form of Senate Bill 818, allows districts to either opt out or adopt the sex education policies for younger children contained in the new law.
During discussions about the new policy in the Legislature, Republicans criticized the plan as being too explicit for young children. Among other provisions, sixth-graders would be expected to define phrases such as oral sex and anal sex, while third-graders would be taught to understand the act of masturbation.
Sex education advocates, however, say the new law won’t result in drastic changes for school districts since it backs up what many schools are already doing in the area of sex education.
The Catholic Conference of Illinois opposed SB 818 when it was being considered by the Legislature, arguing that although the plan offers parents an opt-out provision, many parents won’t be aware of their options. The provisions inappropriately call on fifth-graders to understand sexual orientation issues and for eighth-graders to describe how to put on a condom correctly, according to the Catholic Conference.
GOP gubernatorial frontrunner Darren Bailey, a state senator, has also come out strongly against the sex-education revisions.
“Students in the second grade may soon be required to identify consent, gender identity and reproduction, while fourth- and fifth-graders would have to define different types of sex,” Bailey said in a prepared statement. “The bill is obscene and fails to align with community standards.”
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Local School District Decisions on New Sex-ed Policy
| School District | Positions on Sex-ed Standards |
| Alsip, Hazelgreen And Oak Lawn School District 126 | Opting out |
| Arbor Park School District 145 | Opting out |
| Argo Consolidated High School District 217 | Waiting or no response |
| Atwood Heights School District 125 | Opting out |
| Bloom Township High School District 206 | Waiting or no response |
| Bremen Consolidated High School District 228 | Opting out |
| Brookwood School District 167 | Waiting or no response |
| Burbank School District 111 | Waiting or no response |
| Burnham School District 154-5 | Waiting or no response |
| Calumet City School District 155 | Opting out |
| Calumet Public School District 132 | Waiting or no response |
| Chicago Heights School District 170 | Waiting or no response |
| Chicago Ridge School District 127-5 | Opting out |
| Community Consolidated School District 168 | Opting out |
| Consolidated High School District 218 | Waiting or no response |
| Consolidated High School District 230 | Waiting or no response |
| Cook County School District 130 | Waiting or no response |
| Country Club Hills School District 160 | Waiting or no response |
| Dolton School District 148 | Waiting or no response |
| Dolton School District 149 | Waiting or no response |
| Elementary School District 159 | Waiting or no response |
| Evergreen Park Consolidated High School District 231 | Waiting or no response |
| Evergreen Park Elementary School District 124 | Waiting or no response |
| Flossmoor School District 161 | Waiting or no response |
| Ford Heights School District 169 | Waiting or no response |
| Forest Ridge School District 142 | Opting out |
| General George Patton School District 133 | Waiting or no response |
| Harvey School District 152 | Waiting or no response |
| Hazel Crest School District 152-5 | Waiting or no response |
| Homewood Flossmoor Consolidated High School District 233 | Waiting or no response |
| Homewood School District 153 | Waiting or no response |
| Hoover-Schrum Memorial School District 157 | Waiting or no response |
| Indian Springs School District 109 | Waiting or no response |
| Kirby School District 140 | Waiting or no response |
| Lansing School District 158 | Opting out |
| Lemont Township High School District 210 | Opting out |
| Lemont-Bromberek School District 113A | Opting out |
| Lincoln Elementary School District 156 | Waiting or no response |
| Matteson Elementary School District 162 | Waiting or no response |
| Midlothian School District 143 | Waiting or no response |
| North Palos School District 117 | Opting out |
| Oak Lawn Consolidated High School District 229 | Opting out |
| Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123 | Opting out |
| Orland School District 135 | Opting out |
| Palos Community Consolidated School District 118 | Opting out |
| Palos Heights School District 128 | Opting out |
| Park Forest School District 163 | Waiting or no response |
| Pleasantdale School District 107 | Opting out |
| Posen-Robbins Elementary School District 143-5 | Waiting or no response |
| Prairie-Hills Elementary School District 144 | Opting out |
| Reavis Township High School District 220 | Waiting or no response |
| Rich Township High School District 227 | Waiting or no response |
| Ridgeland School District 122 | Waiting or no response |
| Sandridge School District 172 | Waiting or no response |
| South Holland School District 150 | Waiting or no response |
| South Holland School District 151 | Waiting or no response |
| Steger School District 194 | Waiting or no response |
| Summit School District 104 | Waiting or no response |
| Sunnybrook School District 171 | Waiting or no response |
| Thornton Fractional Township High School District 215 | Waiting or no response |
| Thornton School District 154 | Waiting or no response |
| Thornton Township High School District 205 | Waiting or no response |
| Tinley Park Community Consolidated School
District 146 | Waiting or no response |
| W Harvey-Dixmoor School District 147 | Waiting or no response |
| Willow Springs School District 108 | Waiting or no response |
| Worth School District 127 | Waiting or no response |
| Southland College Prep (Charter) | Waiting or no response |
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