Evanston/Skokie School District 65 is widely considered one of the most liberal areas in the Chicago suburbs. The district itself is racially diverse (with no single majority group), and the surrounding area overwhelmingly voted Democratic in the 2024 presidential election, consistent with its long-standing North Shore political lean.
According to Dr. Stacy Deemar, a drama teacher at Lincoln Elementary School, the district mandates segregated groups for critical race theory (CRT) training, and staff is "required to accept that white identity is inherently racist."
She initially sued the district for this in June 2021 and filed a new complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights in April 2025. She alleges violations of Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause.
The district argued that because Dr. Deemar is white, her claims are invalid. But a federal judge disagrees, saying that anybody, regardless of skin color, could be racially discriminated against.
Judge John J. Tharp of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ruled Tuesday that the portion regarding the district's Equal Protection Clause violations can move forward, as 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution stipulates that people in similar situations be treated equally under the law and that no jurisdiction can create or enforce discriminatory laws.
However, in the same ruling, Judge Tharp wrote that Dr. Deemar could not continue her suit on the basis that District 65 violated Title VI, a law stipulating programs receiving federal funding may not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin.
Tharp is the same judge who dismissed Deemar's 2021 complaint accusing the school board and superintendents of "severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive racial harassment" without prejudice in June 2024.
That allowed Deemar to refile, leading to this ruling that allows part of the complaint to proceed.
Kimberley Hermann, president of the Southeastern Legal Foundation (SLF) and Dr. Deemar's attorney, says the district has several policies in place that force staff to treat white and non-white kids differently, even when it comes to disciplining the children.
"It's quite shocking," she tells AFN. "Most people don't even believe it until you read it and you see it on paper, but the district just needs to stop this business of segregating and discrimination and get back to teaching our kids."
Dr. Deemar is not seeking monetary damages; she and the SLF just want a declaration from the court that the segregated training and racial affinity groups are unconstitutional.
"That will send a warning to the rest of our K-12 schools and colleges throughout this country that they need to stop focusing on race and get back to teaching our kids," Hermann says.
CRT holds that America is fundamentally racist, yet it teaches people to view every social interaction and person in terms of race.
The Southeast Legal Foundation is part of journalist and activist Christopher Rufo's legal coalition that is seeking to get CRT trainings and curriculum struck down in the U.S. Supreme Court.
