New Trier social studies teacher Kerry Hall recently distributed a handout to his class that listed “Volunteer at Planned Parenthood or similar organization” among a list of suggestions on how to avert climate change.
A source provided the list of over 30 suggestions under the title “Our Climate Crisis: what can you DO?” to North Cook News. The Planned Parenthood suggestion was circled for emphasis and posted on New Trier Free Discussion Facebook page on Wednesday night, a site not affiliated with the school. The next day, it was removed at the request of Michael Christensen, chair of Hall’s department, the source said.
Hall did not respond to a request to explain the origins of the Planned Parenthood suggestion, or how working there would help to avert climate change. Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in Illinois and the nation.
Kerry Hall
Neither Christensen nor the high school’s communications department responded to a request for comment.
Other suggestions to avert climate change include: “Team With CAPA, Chicago Area Peace Action,” “Run for office, or work for a young candidate,” and simply “Less Lawn".
Callers this morning to the radio show The Answer, where hosts Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson discussed the New Trier handout, recounted stories of conservative high school students being singled out and shamed, and the authority of parents undermined. (Proft is a principal of Local Government Information Services, which owns North Cook News.)
Teachers make actors look almost centrist in their political views, a recent study by Verdant Labs found. In April, the Pacific Research Institute (PRI) published Verdant’s results:
“Among English teachers, there are 97 Democrats for every three Republicans, with the proportion being even more one-sided among health teachers, with 99 Democrats for every one Republican. While there are slightly more Republicans among math and science teachers, among high school teachers overall, there are 87 Democrats for every 13 Republicans."
PRI also quoted work by Dr. Greg Forster, Friedman Fellow at the school-choice organization EdChoice:
“Peruse the course catalog of any major education school, or read the Twitter feeds of the professors,” observes Forster, and you will “find yourself swimming in an ocean of hard-left ideology: ‘critical theory’ that says there is no truth, only power; ‘intersectionality’ that says you’re not allowed to be right about anything unless you’re right (that is, left) about everything; cheerleading for every fashionable left-leaning cause.”
A 2017 analysis by North Cook News of political donations by teachers at New Trier shows 131 contributions to Democrats and three to Republicans.
All told, New Trier employees have given $49,287 to federal campaign committees since October 1999, according to the Federal Election Commission -- 97.5 percent ($48,037) to Democrats and 2.5 percent ($1,250) to Republicans.
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