The Evanston Township High School District 202 and Evanston/Skokie School District 65 boards discussed recent executive orders targeting the use of federal funds for diversity, equity and inclusion programs at their joint meeting Monday.
To open the meeting, District 65 Board President Sergio Hernandez read a statement emphasizing the district’s efforts to provide an equitable education to all students will remain “unwavering.”
“These students deserve our care and commitment and that we really focus on making sure in this moment, when things can feel so uncertain, we’re clear about what isn’t uncertain — they belong in District 65, and they belong in District 202,” District 65 board member Biz Lindsay-Ryan said.
In an executive order issued Jan. 21 called “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” President Donald Trump declared that DEI programs violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964. A federal judge found the order violates the First Amendment and temporarily blocked the attempt to withhold federal funding from school districts Friday.
District 202 Superintendent Marcus Campbell called the order an “affront” to Evanston Township High School values. He added the district’s racial equity work will continue because data justifies its necessity.
The District 65 board also unanimously approved a two-year partnership with the Infant Welfare Society of Evanston.
IWSE is a subrecipient of the district’s Early Head Start grant and is funded to serve 55 families. For the 2024-25 school year, the organization has 51 enrolled students, 19 of which live outside district boundaries.
The two-year extension allows more time for the district to determine how to serve its 31 early childhood students and for IWSE to determine other avenues of funding starting in the 2027-28 school year.
The boards also reviewed social emotional learning and multilingual services in both districts.
Bryon Harris, District 65’s manager of culture and climate, and Assistant Superintendent of District 202 Taya Kinzie presented data on student belonging and behavior.
For students in grades 5-8, sense of belonging is at 58%, a 7% increase from last school year. Students’ wellbeing and social emotional learning also saw an increase, from 70% to 73%.
Since the 2022-23 school year, the number of Level 3-5 disciplinary incidents in District 65 have decreased from 1,201 to 623, Harris said. A Level 3 incident is when the safety of others and the school environment is harmed.
Kinzie touted the new “Bell-to-Bell No Cell” policy at ETHS, noting that since its implementation, teachers report 91% of students are engaged in class work and discussions. Disciplinary incidents among ETHS students declined 12% between the first semesters of the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years.
Harris said social emotional learning programs are personal for him.
“Thirty-one years ago, I was expelled from (ETHS) because I didn’t feel like I had this sense of belonging or an adult to connect with,” Harris said. “Being intentional about (SEL programs) is going to make a difference in all of our students’ lives.”
Email: anaviprakash2027@u.northwestern.edu
X: @anavi_52
Email: jackbaker2028@u.northwestern.edu
X: @jdowb2005
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