South Cook News

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

Source: LGIS News Service