Illinois school districts are now deciding whether or not to opt out of the state's new sex education policy for young children. | Pexels.com / Cottonbro
Illinois school districts are now deciding whether or not to opt out of the state's new sex education policy for young children. | Pexels.com / Cottonbro
Sixteen school districts in Peoria County are mum on Illinois’ new law that aligns sex education policies for grades K-12 with national standards.
In Peoria County as of June 18, two of its districts said they would opt out of the provisions for younger children, while 16 other districts have yet to say if they would opt out . The new law, which the state Legislature passed in the form of Senate Bill 818, allows districts to either opt out or adopt the sex education policies for younger children contained in the new law.
During discussions about the new policy in the Legislature, Republicans criticized the plan as being too explicit for young children. Among other provisions, sixth-graders would be expected to define phrases such as oral sex and anal sex, while third-graders would be taught to understand the act of masturbation.
Sex education advocates, however, say the new law won’t result in drastic changes for school districts since it backs up what many schools are already doing in the area of sex education.
The Catholic Conference of Illinois opposed SB 818 when it was being considered by the Legislature, arguing that although the plan offers parents an opt-out provision, many parents won’t be aware of their options. The provisions inappropriately call on fifth-graders to understand sexual orientation issues and for eighth-graders to describe how to put on a condom correctly, according to the Catholic Conference.
GOP gubernatorial frontrunner Darren Bailey, a state senator, has also come out strongly against the sex-education revisions.
“Students in the second grade may soon be required to identify consent, gender identity and reproduction, while fourth- and fifth-graders would have to define different types of sex,” Bailey said in a prepared statement. “The bill is obscene and fails to align with community standards.”
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Local School District Decisions on New Sex-ed Policy
| School District | Positions on Sex-ed Standards |
| Bartonville School District 66 | Waiting or no response |
| Brimfield Community Unit School District 309 | Waiting or no response |
| Dunlap Community Unit School District 323 | Opting out |
| Elmwood Community Unit School District 322 | Waiting or no response |
| Farmington Central Community Unit School
District 265 | Waiting or no response |
| Hollis Consolidated School District 328 | Waiting or no response |
| Illini Bluffs Community Unit School District 327 | Waiting or no response |
| Illinois Valley Central Unified School District 321 | Opting out |
| Limestone Consolidated High School
District 310 | Waiting or no response |
| Limestone Walters Community Consolidated School District 316 | Waiting or no response |
| Monroe School District 70 | Waiting or no response |
| Norwood Elementary School District 63 | Waiting or no response |
| Oak Grove School District 68 | Waiting or no response |
| Peoria Heights Community Unit School
District 325 | Waiting or no response |
| Peoria School District 150 | Waiting or no response |
| Pleasant Hill School District 69 | Waiting or no response |
| Pleasant Valley School District 62 | Waiting or no response |
| Princeville Community Unit School District 326 | Waiting or no response |
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