North Cook News

The Southeast Legal Foundation (SLF) is hailing the anti-discrimination suit filed by Evanston grade school teacher Stacy Deemar over critical race theory teachings as one about “equal protection and anti-segregation.”

“The claims raised by the lawsuit, which document specific incidents and elements of mandatory programming used by the school district for teachers and students, outlines a deliberate effort by an arm of the government – the public school system – to specifically use skin color and ethnicity as bright line factors for separating students and teachers,” SLF said in a press release posted to Twitter. “The lawsuit relies on well-settled constitutional principles and case law precedent that have protected Americans of all skin colors over the past seven decades against the government’s use of race and ethnicity as key factors for its programs.”

An employee in District 65 for more than two decades, Deemar further alleges the district’s commitment to “anti-racism” in its curriculum, policies and programs actively teaches students to be racists.

Attorneys for Deemar insist the new curriculum stands in blatant violation of the U.S. Constitution and the federal civil rights laws of white school staff members and students. The lawsuit specifically names District 65 Superintendent Devon Horton, Deputy Superintendent Latarsha Green and assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Stacy Bearsley as defendants.

“Throughout its curriculum and programming, District 65 promotes and reinforces a view of race essentialism that divides Americans into oppressor and oppressed based solely on their skin color,” Deemar’s complaint charges. “District 65 sets up a dichotomy between white and non-white races that depicts whiteness as inherently racist and a tool of oppression.”

The complaint also calls attention to lessons that District 65 distributes to students from preschool to eighth grade including the assertion: “White people have a very, very serious problem and they should start thinking about what they should do about it.”

The Southeast Legal Foundation, formed by journalist and activist Christopher Rufo, is aiding Deemar in her legal battle. The legal coalition seeks to get CRT teachings and instruction struck down by the Supreme Court.

As part of her complaint, Deemar alleges District 65 school officials divided teachers based on their race and directed teachers to read a book titled “Not my Idea” to their students. In the story, the devil makes a “Contract Binding you to Whiteness” where the main character will receive “stolen land,” “stolen riches,” and “special favors” in return.

The devil in the story later defines whiteness as giving people the license “to mess endlessly with the lives of your friends, neighbors, loved ones, and all fellow humans of COLOR.”

While requesting just $1 in damages, Deemar’s suit seeks a declaratory judgment and injunction on CRT teachings.

The Evanston/Skokie District operates 18 schools serving more than 8,000 students from preschool to eighth grade.