Even after President Donald Trump signed an executive order restricting schools from providing gender-affirming care or teaching “anti-American” ideologies, one Evanston Township High School teacher pledged to continue teaching “honest science.”
Bill Farmer, who teaches biology and chemistry, said he would continue combating misinformation about vaccines, sex and gender, and other contentious scientific topics. As a member of the National Education Association’s Board of Directors, he added that other school districts began practicing “anticipatory compliance” with Trump’s policies — but not ETHS.
Several other ETHS teachers said they would not change their lessons on science, race and other politically disputed subjects, and administrators remained similarly steadfast even as the federal government threatened to cut funding for schools it said promoted discrimination.
ETHS Teachers’ Council President Rick Cardis added that he and other teachers would not change their lessons even amid the Trump administration’s crackdowns on classroom discussions of topics like race, gender and sexual orientation.
In a recent lesson on the African American Civil Rights Movement, for example, Cardis said he discussed how some people downplayed Martin Luther King Jr.’s discussions of issues like police brutality, the Vietnam War and reparations, instead saying King promoted colorblindness by calling on people to judge each other not by the “color of their skin” but by the “content of their character.”
“I don’t know where that would fall in line with the perceptions of (diversity, equity and inclusion) and what should and shouldn’t be taught in schools, but I can’t imagine teaching any way differently than that,” Cardis said.
Kamasi Hill teaches Advanced Placement courses in African American studies and European history at ETHS, and he served on the development committee for the former course. He said he approached his curriculum in a “diligent” and “proactive” manner, since conservative politicians in states like Florida have alleged the course promotes a “political agenda.”
Hill said he designed and taught AP African American Studies to “honor” scholars and activists who contributed to Black history and called on universities to support Black studies programs.
“I always center the actors who help to shape the curriculum,” Hill said. “I never get too far away from it, because I don’t want to betray the sense of what this course was designed to do, and that is to make sure that the story is told in a holistic fashion.”
The Education Department wrote in a Feb. 14 letter that schools could not treat students “differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity.” The letter invoked the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling against race-based affirmative action in college admissions, applying the court’s reasoning more broadly.
The NEA and American Federation of Teachers — the nation’s two largest teachers’ unions — filed separate lawsuits against the Education Department in the weeks after that letter’s release. Both unions scored victories Thursday, when federal judges issued injunctions blocking the Trump administration from enforcing parts of the letter and withholding funding from schools that employed NEA-affiliated teachers.
Thursday remained the deadline for school districts and state agencies to certify their compliance with the Education Department’s civil rights policies.
Illinois State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders questioned the department’s authority to request these certifications April 9, and he criticized the department for not naming specific DEI initiatives that violated civil rights laws.
ETHS reported almost $4.5 million in federal aid for fiscal year 2025, comprising about 4.5% of its annual budget. The district said its federal funds included support for low-income students and students with disabilities.
Cardis said the school would be able to handle a loss in federal funding by tapping into reserve funds and other revenue sources, though some staff members could risk losing jobs or have trouble negotiating pay and benefits.
Funding cuts could also affect ETHS’ ability to provide special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Farmer said, especially since the federal government has persistently underfunded support for students with disabilities under that law. This underfunding puts a “strain” on public schools’ budgets, Farmer said.
“There’s just further concerns of eroding away at (the budget), where we’d have to cut positions or we wouldn’t be able to offer some of the special programming and curriculum because we don’t have the money to support it,” Farmer said.
Cardis said Superintendent Marcus Campbell privately told him the district would defer to the state while determining whether to comply with federal directives.
An ETHS spokesperson declined to comment on behalf of the district, including to a question about whether the district signed the Education Department’s latest request for certification.
Campbell wrote in a Jan. 27 statement that the district was “actively assessing” federal policy changes “to determine their potential effects on our district while awaiting further guidance from the Illinois State Board of Education.” He added that ETHS would remain a “welcoming, inclusive, and affirming school” for all students and staff, including LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, people with disabilities and Black people.
“We recognize that belonging is fundamental to learning,” Campbell wrote. “ETHS is proud to have some of the most dedicated educators and staff when it comes to fostering inclusion and supporting students.”
Clarification: This story has been updated with additional information about ETHS’ public responses to federal policies.
Email: [email protected]
Bluesky: @edwardsimoncruz.bsky.social
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