FOIA requests obtained records showing that Oswego District 308’s DEI roadmap through 2026 includes mandatory trainings, a DEI Design Team, recruitment priorities, and measurable teacher-led DEI goals. A 2025 middle-school session reportedly grouped students by race during school hours without notifying parents, drawing criticism that the practice amounted to segregation. The district’s equity official was reported to have posted a controversial social media comment following media reports about Charlie Kirk’s death; records indicate the official remains employed. The plan also proposes a DEI conference, a teacher residency funding request, and references previous DEI spending and training exercises.
FOIA Documents Reveal Oswego District 308’s 2026 DEI Roadmap Amid Controversy Over Race-Based Student Grouping
An Illinois school district is under scrutiny after FOIA requests revealed a 2026 equity framework promoting DEI hiring, mandatory training and race-based student sessions held without parental notification.(Getty Images)
Documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests show that Oswego Community Unit School District 308 in Illinois has a formal equity roadmap outlining expanded diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives through 2026. The materials, released by Defending Education, detail mandatory DEI training for staff and students, recruitment priorities, and plans for a DEI Design Team. The records also include a 2025 incident in which a middle-school session grouped students by racial background during the school day without notifying parents—prompting criticism and legal concerns.
What the FOIA Documents Show
The released records include an annual DEI summary and a 2026 DEI plan. Key elements of the roadmap include recruiting and retaining staff "with diverse backgrounds," required DEI trainings for employees and students, and creation of a DEI Design Team to "analyze and address inequities within student academic achievement" and student discipline.
Controversial Student Grouping During School Time
One equity report describes a 2025 staff-led session held during a middle school’s "Student Support Time" in which students were grouped by racial background without parent notification. According to the equity director’s notes, the session examined "the challenges with being discriminated against based on color," and a subsequent session was planned "with those who identify as White."
Newly uncovered records show an Illinois district implementing race-focused equity trainings, diversity hiring priorities and DEI conferences, while a senior administrator drew outrage for social media posts about Charlie Kirk.
Erika Sanzi, senior director of communications at Defending Education, said the practice could be considered segregation: "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. Regardless of the intention, the ideology behind race-based programs and activities in schools is destructive and needs to be rooted out."
Allegations Related To A Social Media Post
The records were released amid local reporting about comments on social media following media accounts that described the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. A local report in the Kendall County Times cited a post by Jadon A. Waller, listed on the district website as the superintendent of equity and engagement for grades K–8, in which Waller (posting under the name Ashley Jadon) allegedly referred to Kirk as a "modern day Klans man." The report quoted Waller as saying:
“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. Who are you trying to make comfortable? Cause it’s making me uncomfortable.”
The district website indicates Waller remains employed at Oswego District 308. Waller did not respond to requests for comment cited in the records.
Plans For 2026 And Measurable Goals
The 2026 roadmap calls for ongoing DEI trainings in elementary and middle schools, establishment of a DEI Design Team to study achievement and discipline gaps, and an "indicators of success" rubric. The rubric expects elementary and junior high teacher leaders and administrators to "facilitate at least two of their own DEI trainings by the end of the year," with outcomes to be reported in the following year’s annual summary.
Oswego District 308 faces backlash after reports that staff celebrated Charlie Kirk’s death and documents exposed equity initiatives, including racial affinity groups and expanded DEI programming.
District officials also propose partnering with surrounding districts and Waubonsee Community College to host an inaugural DEI conference titled "ASCEND" and include an equity statement committing to acknowledge and address racism and related injustices in the schools and community.
Recruitment, Residency Proposal, And Past DEI Spending
Recruitment and retention goals in the plan emphasize prioritizing diverse hires: "We will prioritize the recruitment, retention, and advancement of administrators and staff with diverse backgrounds to ensure our team of educators reflects our student body." A job posting obtained by Defending Education similarly described the ideal high school principal as someone "prioritizing equity and rightful presence… across the district."
The district proposed a $75,000 grant request to create a teacher residency partnership intended to "recruit and retain new teachers who reflect the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of the communities we serve."
The school district spent funds to participate in a pride parade along with stickers and materials.
Records from a prior partnership (October 2023–March 2024) show district expenditures on DEI-related materials and activities, including pride parade stickers and a parade participation fee. Those prior trainings included exercises such as reading "How Privileged Am I" and instructing participants to "generate a privilege list" to identify how social identities may confer advantages in P–12 settings.
District Response
According to the released records, Oswego District 308 did not provide responses to the specific inquiries cited in the FOIA materials. Fox News Digital and other outlets noted that the district did not respond to requests for comment included in the publicly released records.
Context: The FOIA documents provide insight into the district’s stated DEI goals and specific practices that have prompted public scrutiny. The materials raise questions about parental notification, the legal and ethical implications of grouping students by race during school hours, and how districts balance equity initiatives with community concerns.
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