An Illinois school district whose faculty members came under fire for “celebrating or justifying” the death of Charlie Kirk implemented expansive DEI and critical theory-driven programming, a new report revealed last week. One school even ran sessions that allegedly “segregated” students based on race.
Anti-indoctrination watchdog Defending Education obtained multiple Freedom of Information Act requests exposing “extensive, taxpayer-funded DEI initiatives” in Illinois’ Oswego District 308, including “equity trainings for students and staff,” trainings where students were “separated based on racial background,” and “equity partnerships” with other groups. The obtained materials also exposed “district policies explicitly committing to anti-racism, marginalized identities, and culturally responsive pedagogy through 2026,” the watchdog said.
After conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated in front of thousands in September, allegedly at the hands of a leftist college student, Oswego District 308’s K-8 assistant superintendent and director of equity and engagement, Jadon A. Waller, faced calls for her termination over a Facebook post in which she appeared to call Kirk a “modern day Klans man.”
“I’m seeing a lot of Black folks on here interjecting themselves into the death of a modern day Klans man… and I have to say I’m confused and disappointed,” Waller reportedly wrote under the Facebook name “Ashley Jadon.”
As Defending Education documented, another faculty member who serves as a swimming coach and special ed teacher posted multiple times on his Instagram story, celebrating after Kirk was shot.
Although concerned parents called out the disturbing behavior, which was supposedly investigated by district leadership, both staff members continue to work at the school, according to Defending Education. The district confirmed to The Federalist that Waller is currently employed as the K-8 assistant superintendent. But equally disturbing is the observation that the Kirk controversy was unfolding “alongside” the district’s involvement in harmful leftist DEI programming.
One of the most blatant examples comes from a document outlining the “equity statements” that will purportedly “guide and monitor” District 308’s DEI “vision.” Here, the district vows that it will “acknowledge the existence of racism” and biases against certain groups, “address injustices,” “embed equitable structures,” and “prioritize” the hiring and promotion of “diverse” staff members.
FOIA results also exposed a middle school in the district allegedly hosting “student equity assemblies” in which students were “segregated” according to race. As Fox News reported, “[t]he equity director wrote after the session … that she identified the ‘challenges with being discriminated against based on color,’ and that her next session would be with ‘those who identify as White.’” Although the groups may have been “voluntary,” Defending Education stated the school did not alert parents ahead of the first meeting.
In a lengthy Friday statement to The Federalist, District 308 Superintendent Dr. Andalib Khelghati said it was “inaccurate” to say students were segregated based on race and that this characterization “omits the full story.”
“The junior high school referenced held a school-wide assembly in response to an uptick in racially charged behavior as students returned from COVID-related disruptions,” the statement continued.
Following the assembly, the school hosted a series of weekly, voluntary “affinity groups” that were “not held during instructional time” and are not part of a “standing program or district policy,” according to Khelghati. He said “every racial background within the school” was represented by a group to participate in “identity-based processing of harm.” Students came back together following the series to “reinforce school-wide unity.” Khelghati said parents “were notified prior to the meetings” and some attended.
Waller did not respond to The Federalist’s request for comment on her apparent involvement in the “equity assemblies” by the time of publication.
“Calling it a racial affinity group is just a nicer way of saying racial segregation — these equity assemblies that divide up students by their skin color are without justification, not to mention illegal,” Senior Director of Communications at Defending Education Erika Sanzi told Fox. “Regardless of the intention, the ideology behind race-based programs and activities in schools is destructive and needs to be rooted out.”
According to Defending Education, the district’s “2025 Annual Report Summary on DEI” revealed that elementary through high school students took part in “trainings related to ‘Personal and Instructional dimensions of equity.’” For elementary kids in particular, this included a “cohort training” pulling from a 2020 book titled Cultivating Genius by critical race theory activist Gholnescar Muhammad.
The book purportedly presents a “historically responsive literacy framework” and pushes pedagogy centered on “histories, identities, and literary practices … from diverse cultures” with emphasis on those “traditionally underserved” by school systems. Muhammad’s framework reportedly prioritizes “identity development” and “criticality” — a clear nod to critical race theory — defined as the ability to read and write through the lens of “power, privilege, and oppression.”
The analysis by Defending Education also identifies multiple partnerships between the school district and other groups focused on “equity.” In fact, “community partnerships” is one of the district’s DEI guidelines in the aforementioned “equity statements” document. The district previously partnered with the Midwest & Plains Equity Assistance Center between 2023 and 2024, purportedly for the purpose of increasing “critical consciousness” for district leaders and board members.
One training for district staff and students under this collaboration was titled “Understanding and Disrupting Microaggressions through Critical Awareness in the School Community” and asked participants to analyze different “privileged” categories in groups after completing a reading titled “How Privileged Am I.” Privileged categories included “White,” “Male,” “Cisgender,” “Able-bodied,” “Middle to Upper Class,” “Christian,” and/or “Heterosexual.”
The Defending Education analysis suggests the district plans to continue its DEI programming throughout 2026. One of the sections of a report obtained by the education watchdog outlines “indicators of success” that the district will supposedly highlight in “next year’s annual report.” These benchmarks include further DEI trainings, implementing “culturally responsive” pedagogy, and commissioning a “DEI Design Team” to assess so-called “inequities” in student learning and programs.
Throughout his second term, the Trump administration has been focused on weeding out harmful DEI in government and has threatened to withhold funding from schools that promote illegal, discriminatory ideology. Although many of his efforts have been temporarily blocked by activist judges, the anti-DEI platform is one Trump ran on and won on in 2024.
Khelghati told The Federalist that “[m]aterials obtained through FOIA requests may be several years old and not reflect current district practices.” He also claimed that the district does “not currently have a formal DEI department, nor teach ‘critical race theory.’”
“The district uses taxpayer and federal funds in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws to support academic achievement, student well-being, and safe learning environments,” his statement continued.
An “equity statements” document approved in 2021 outlines the district’s DEI “vision” and is still available on District 308’s website. The commitments, including acknowledging racism and prioritizing “diverse” staff, seem to match the document with the same title highlighted by Defending Education.
As The Federalist previously reported, schools like Harvard have been exposed for rebranding their DEI programs after Trump took office in 2025 in an apparent effort to continue pushing the Marxist ideology without criticism from the public. As The Federalist’s Breccan Thies pointed out, “hiding DEI does not mean it is gone.”
