East Central Reporter

Following the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules’ approval on the Illinois State Board of Education’s "Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards," state Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) organized an online discussion with other representatives.

He agreed with state Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur), who expressed optimism. "We have an election in a couple of years and with a lot of hard work and some good candidates," Caulkins said. "Hopefully, we'll be able to attack this and turn this around.”

“Excellent point Dan,” Halbrook said. “So yeah, we're bumping up against an election. Elections have consequences, right? So that's maybe our only recourse to turn this tide around, is to deal with it on some House races and the statewide races next up in 2022.”

Halbrook told Center Square that “With two-thirds of the kids in elementary that are not meeting grade standards for Math and English, and this is where we desire to go... I think it’s a wrong move.” 

According to him the CRT “in effect, requires teachers to affirm, embrace, and encourage inclusive (or progressive) student viewpoints to receive and maintain their teaching licenses.”