South Cook News

Rutland Community Consolidated School District 230 in LaSalle County won’t be teaching the state’s new controversial sex education curriculum, despite protests the lessons are “obscene and fail to align with community standards.”

The Rutland Community Consolidated School District 230, which teaches 71 students, reported it has opted out of teaching the new curriculum, which includes lessons about masturbation starting in Grade 3.

There were no school districts which did not reply to a query about if it would opt out of teaching the curriculum or said it would wait to make a decision.

The curriculum was criticized by Republicans as “outrageous” and “perverted” while advocates claimed it would safely teach students about things they’re already learning on the internet.

Out of Illinois’ 852 school districts, 520 have opted out of teaching the lessons, leaving students with no sex education lessons at all.

School districts can’t normally opt out of teaching part of a curriculum. However, the sex education bill signed by the Illinois governor included the opportunity for school districts to opt out of teaching the curriculum if they were opposed to the teaching. Some school districts have opted out of teaching the curriculum for certain grades.

Individual school data was gathered by grassroots organization Awake, IL.

School District	Number of Students	Decision
Allen-Otter Creek Community Consolidated School District 65	79	Opting Out
Community Unit School District 2	607	Opting Out
Dimmick Community Consolidated School District 175	139	Opting Out
Earlville Community Unit School District 9	374	Opting Out
Grand Ridge Community Consolidated School District 95	202	Opting Out
La Salle Elementary School District 122	890	Opting Out
LaSalle-Peru Township High School District 120	1,207	Opting Out
Leland Community Unit School District 1	238	Opting Out
Lostant Community Unit School District 425	53	Opting Out
Marseilles Elementary School District 150	493	Opting Out
Mendota Community Consolidated School District 289	1,046	Opting Out
Mendota Township High School District 280	514	Opting Out
Miller Township Community Consolidated School District 210	161	Opting Out
Oglesby Elementary School District 125	456	Opting Out
Ottawa Elementary School District 141	1,759	Opting Out
Ottawa Township High School District 140	1,216	Opting Out
Peru Elementary School District 124	910	Opting Out
Rutland Community Consolidated School District 230	71	Opting Out
Seneca Community Consolidated School District 170	448	Opting Out
Seneca Township High School District 160	398	Opting Out
Streator Elementary School District 44	1,446	Opting Out
Streator Township High School District 40	818	Opting Out
Tonica Community Consolidated School District 79	131	Opting Out
Wallace Community Consolidated School District 195	392	Opting Out
Waltham Community Consolidated School District 185	180	Opting Out