St Charles’ schools’ core value statement, inclusion symbol, upsets some parents

Parents of St. Charles School District 303 students who will attend Richmond Intermediate School next school year voiced concerns at a March 18 Learning and Teaching Committee meeting over a welcome mailer that was sent out the previous week.

Richmond Intermediate Principal Lisa Simoncelli-Bulak sent out a welcome letter to families in the school’s new enrollment zone. The letter displayed the school’s core values in the header.

Four people spoke during the public comment section of the meeting, saying they were unhappy with the school’s core values and the symbol that was used to represent one of those values. The first value was “Inclusion,” which was symbolized by a rainbow colored heart, a variation of the pride flag.

This version of the pride flag is known as the Progress Pride Flag, which was designed by artist Daniel Quasar in 2018. The additional white, pink, blue, brown and black stripes are meant to include representation for trans people and LGBTQ+ people of color, according to Quasar’s website.

Over the weekend after the mailer was sent out, the school district removed the symbol from its website and replaced it with a red heart. Parents were not satisfied with the change and expressed their concerns to the school board.

School board members did not respond to comments made during the meeting or discuss the mailer that was sent out to Richmond Intermediate families.

Superintendent Paul Gordon gave this response in an email: “As part of our boundary transition process, District 303 and the leadership team at Richmond are excited to welcome in families to learn more about their new school. Purposeful and positive engagement with our families is a building block for student success, as are the core values that define a building and those of our entire district.

“As one of our more culturally diverse schools, Principal Simoncelli-Bulak and her team are focused on maintaining an inclusive environment where each person is welcomed, valued and respected. By modifying its inclusive symbol, we believe this clarifies Richmond’s meaning of inclusivity while aligning with the district’s value of belonging. We honor the dignity of each person by accepting, validating and appreciating them and by treating every individual fairly.”

Mike and Ashley Pezza were two of the parents who spoke at the meeting. Their children formerly were in the Ferson Creek enrollment zone, but now fall under the new Richmond Intermediate enrollment zone for the 2024-25 school year.

Mike Pezza presented the school board members with a list of questions and expressed his frustration with the welcome letter he received, specifically with the heart-shaped pride flag being the symbol for inclusivity.

“The No. 1 core value in a K-5 elementary school is inclusivity with a pride flag in the shape of a heart next to it,” Pezza said. “How is that inclusive for my children and my family’s beliefs and my family’s values? There are so many other people out there who are scared tonight to come and talk to this.”

Mike Pezza suggested a cross would be a better symbol of inclusivity. He said taking the symbol down does not do justice and that someone needs to be held accountable.

Ashley Pezza said this year has put a lot of stress on her family as the district’s enrollment zone changes will move her children from Ferson Creek to Richmond.

“Not only are we being affected by the boundary change, but we are now concerned with where our kids are going,” Pezza said. “I’m here today to express my concern for what Richmond’s core values are and to retract it the way you did. I do not respect how you guys handled it.”

Ashley Pezza asked how they can ever trust their school system.

“Just because you take it down does not make us feel any better. It actually makes it more shady,” Pezza said. “I get that you want to be inclusive and I have no hate for anyone, but where are our values? Why is the traditional family being the one discriminated against?”

Ashley Pezza also asked why academics is not a core value and said the district’s schools’ ratings are not worth the taxes its families pay.

“Everyone is so worried about being politically correct at this point instead of teaching these kids common courtesy, respect and consideration,” she said. “I don’t blame just the school system because it starts with us at home. We should be ashamed of how life has evolved at these schools.”

Campton Hills resident Paul Mayer also spoke to the core value of inclusion in the district, saying he wanted to enhance the diversity, equity and inclusion.

Mayer brought up three ideologies present in America today, which he said were “Americanism, LGBT and Christianity.” He asserted that of those three, those of the “LGBT ideology” were a decided minority and while Christianity was the largest of the three, it is recognized the least.

“In our schools, Americanism and LGBT are well-represented. Christianity is not represented at all,” Mayer said. “This violates the tenants of DEI. Show me a classroom here that has a cross or a crucifix in it. I doubt you can point out a single teacher who espouses, in a public fashion, the precepts of Christianity, so your DEI efforts are flawed.”

Mayer said to ensure that all students are included and supported, the district needs to put a cross or a crucifix in every classroom and ensure that the teachers explain or discuss the meaning of the symbol. He said this would provide representation and establish equity and inclusion for all students.

Kane County resident and District 303 parent Victoria Contreras said she was very confused about the letter that was sent out by Simoncelli-Bulak and said the symbol for inclusion and the rest of the core values struck her as “wrong on many levels.”

“Sending your child or grandchild to a school is about academic growth and friendship, not about sexual ideology,” Contreras said. “We send our children to give them strong academic backgrounds, which will lead to greater and more challenging classes as they progress. We do not send our children to teach them their sexuality or their sexual choices. We do not send our children to promote a political ideology or wokeness.”

Contreras said she was happy to see the symbol for inclusion had been changed to a red heart. She also took issue with the proficiency ratings for reading and math within the district.

“There is no time to be spent in class on ideology or sexualization of our kids,” Contreras said. “Get back to the basics and give our students the rigorous education they deserve.”