Alliance Defending Freedom Alert: Antioch CCSD 34 – Monday, September 28, 2026 [0b98f94e]

Alliance Defending Freedom

Local Alert

📅 Monday, September 28, 2026 to Calendar

We reviewed the upcoming agenda for Antioch CCSD 34 and identified 3 items with potential legal exposure ahead of the vote.

✅ Precedent to Preserve

Adopted language worth preserving as precedent.

Strong Precedent (LEVEL 9)

Policy Guidance Recognizes Parental Opt-Out Rights

📅 September 28, 2026

The district is reviewing policy updates, including policy 6:80, which are accompanied by commentary from the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB). This commentary advises the district that parents have free exercise rights to receive notice and opt their children out of instruction involving controversial topics like ‘LGBTQ+-inclusive storybooks’ that may undermine their religious beliefs.

How to Preserve It

PRESERVE RECORD: The PRESSPlus commentary for policies 6:70 and 6:80 in the ‘Press 122 UPDATES’ attachment is high-value precedent. It shows IASB is advising districts of a parental right to opt-out of curriculum that burdens religious belief. Capture this commentary verbatim as evidence for other Illinois districts.

✅ Why It Matters: Parental Rights – 14th Am. Due Process / Free Exercise

Strong Precedent (LEVEL 8)

Policy Affirms Student-Led Prayer and Religious Meetings

📅 September 28, 2026

Draft policy 7:130 explicitly states that students may voluntarily engage in non-disruptive, student-initiated prayer or religious meetings during non-instructional time. This is a strong affirmation of students’ religious liberty rights on campus.

How to Preserve It

PRESERVE RECORD: The language in draft policy 7:130 is a clear protection of student religious expression. Capture the adopted text from the ‘Press 122 UPDATES’ attachment for use as a model policy.

✅ Why It Matters: First Amendment – Free Exercise & Free Speech

Strong Precedent (LEVEL 7)

Policy Protecting Employee Religious Holiday Observance

📅 September 28, 2026

The Board is reviewing draft policy 5:70, which grants employees time off for religious holidays with prior notice, unless it causes an undue hardship. This policy affirmatively protects the free exercise rights of district employees.

How to Preserve It

PRESERVE RECORD: The draft policy 5:70 in the ‘Press 122 UPDATES’ attachment is a model for employee religious accommodation. Capture the adopted text and file as a comparator for litigation in Illinois.

✅ Why It Matters: First Amendment – Free Exercise

District Leadership

Address

964 Spafford St, Antioch, IL 60002

“Contending in the courts of man, in reverence for the courts of God.”

Alliance Defending Freedom is the world’s largest legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, the sanctity of life, parental rights, and God’s design for marriage and family.

Alliance Defending Freedom