{"id":569434,"date":"2026-02-06T02:00:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T02:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/569434\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T02:00:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T02:00:14","slug":"education-secretary-visits-chicago-religious-private-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/569434\/","title":{"rendered":"Education secretary visits Chicago religious private school"},"content":{"rendered":"

Education Secretary Linda McMahon addressed students at a private Christian high school on the Near West Side on Thursday, her latest stop on a national civics tour that some have criticized as bringing partisan politics into schools.<\/p>\n

About 150 students at Chicago Hope Academy joined McMahon for the assembly, which was closed to the media. Half of the student body decided not to attend the optional event, according to Principal Ike Muzikowski.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot every student felt like this was the best program to participate in, or didn\u2019t feel as comfortable being part of it, and that\u2019s OK,\u201d Muzikowski told reporters after the assembly. \u201cWe will continue to have conversations and figure out how we can learn from people who think differently than us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The visit was part of the U.S. Department of Education\u2019s \u201cHistory Rocks!\u201d tour, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. More than 40 conservative organizations, including Turning Point USA, the America First Policy Institute and the Heritage Foundation, have signed on as sponsors.<\/p>\n

The aim of the tour is to \u201cpromote a shared understanding of the principles that shaped the founding and history of our nation,\u201d according to a news release from the Education Department. Last week, an elementary school in Fairfield, Connecticut, called off<\/a> McMahon\u2019s visit amid intense backlash from parents.<\/p>\n

The assembly included a history trivia game, covering topics such as the Founding Fathers and Illinois\u2019 role during the Civil War. Students also gave McMahon a campus tour.<\/p>\n

\u201c(The tour) is totally nonpartisan,\u201d McMahon told reporters Thursday. \u201cIt is really making history fun. \u2026 It is bringing civics and history to life, it is not teaching curriculum.\u201d<\/p>\n

A promotional video for \u201cHistory Rocks!\u201d describes how the education system \u201cwas once a shining light \u2026 built on faith, heritage, patriotism,\u201d but has since \u201ccrumbled from within.\u201d Among the images that flash on the screen are an American flag in flames, a drag queen and a headline reading \u201ccritical race theory.\u201d<\/p>\n

Civics, the study of citizenship, was once thought to build a nonpartisan understanding of government. But it has increasingly become a battleground in a broader debate over the teaching of U.S. history and national identity. President Donald Trump, for example, has removed materials about slavery at some national parks.<\/p>\n

Some Chicago Hope Academy parents had expressed concern for McMahon\u2019s visit, according to Muzikowski. Still, he said it was valuable for students to engage across the aisle. The Education Department, he said, had reached out to the school to ask whether it wanted to host.<\/p>\n

\u201cDefinitely a challenging last couple of days, deciding, \u2018Hey, do we move forward with this, or do we follow the Connecticut school\u2019s example?\u2019\u201d Muzikowski said. \u201cWe made the right decision in allowing her to come and see our school, allowing our students to engage and interact with and listen to someone who\u2019s a very controversial figurehead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe stayed out of politics,\u201d Muzikowski added.<\/p>\n

McMahon and Trump have effectively dismantled the Education Department, as part of a sweeping campaign to return education to the states. Mass layoffs have dramatically reduced the department\u2019s staffing, which critics say has jeopardized school funding and weakened civil rights enforcement.<\/p>\n