Genoa-Kingston teachers and staff call for safety and transparency during U.S. Department of Education and Turning Point USA visit

GENOA - The Genoa-Kingston Education Association (GKEA) is calling on the Genoa-Kingston Community Unit School District 424 (CUSD 424) Board of Education (BOE) and Administration to put more safety measures in place and to be transparent about an upcoming assembly. This event is part of the nationwide History Rocks! tour organized by the U.S. Department of Education in collaboration with Turning Point USA through the America 250 Civics Education Coalition.

Weeks ago, the event was arranged by the Genoa-Kingston High School chapter of Turning Point USA, Club America. However, the assembly was just announced to students, staff and families last week, and was not discussed at recent BOE meetings. The high school is currently scheduled to host the History Rocks! assembly on Thurs., Feb. 5 at 2:30 p.m., the exact time classes are letting out for the day. Busses do not arrive to transport students home until 3:00p.m., which means students who feel unsafe will not be able to leave the building before the event begins.

With the assembly just days away, Turning Point USA has not authorized the release of the identities of these "national level speakers." However, previous tour stops have featured speakers such as U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon. Erika Kirk, wife of the late Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, is also rumored to make an appearance. Charlie Kirk was gunned down while on stage at another Turning Point USA event on a college campus last year.

"We have major concerns around the safety and transparency of this event," GKEA President Sam Coates said. "All of our students and staff deserve to be safe when they are on school grounds, especially during school hours."

GKEA is calling on District 424 Administration and BOE to immediately address the following safety concerns:

• Timing: Push back the event start time until 3:30 p.m. to allow for the building to be clear of any students and staff who do not wish to attend.
• Transparency: Provide students, parents, staff and the community with ample notice regarding future events, as well as the opportunity to give feedback.

"We are calling on the district to put these safeguards into place immediately. We are asking for open and clear communication about this event, and future events, moving forward," Coates said.

"We believe that safety should come before anything else," Illinois Education Association (IEA) President Karl Goeke said. "We stand with our members in Genoa-Kingston as they advocate for their students and themselves. When our students don't feel safe, it's not possible for them to focus on learning and their education. There's no question that every educator also deserves a safe workplace. It was not long ago that Turning Point's founder was murdered on stage at another educational event. We have to do better."

GKEA represents nearly 200 members including teachers, ESPs, custodians, cooks, bus drivers, and secretaries, who serve the approximately 1,500 students in CUSD 424.

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The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state's largest union. IEA represents Pre K-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.