Oak Park school and civic leaders sought to assure the community that they will stand up for diversity and inclusion in the wake of a flurry of executive orders from President Donald Trump since he took office on Jan. 20.

On Feb. 3, Superintendent Gregory Johnson released a statement to the Oak Park and River Forest community describing the past few weeks as “a chaotic and confusing time for public educators.” Johnson’s statement “affirm(ed) the rights and recognize(d) the identities of all students and staff” and promised to “continue to uphold our policies and practices that protect these rights and identities.” 

At press time, Trump had issued 70 executive orders, according to the Federal Register, the daily journal of the United States government. These orders refuse to “fund, sponsor, promote, assist or support” gender-related medical treatments for transgender youth, and eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in government, with a recommendation that these programs should also not exist in the private sector.

Many of the orders are focused on immigration, a cornerstone of Trump’s campaign. The nonprofit news agency ProPublica reported Feb. 7 that Trump has issued 27 orders relating to immigration, resulting in raids and deportations across America. According to a Feb. 21 report in the Associated Press, ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has averaged 787 arrests daily, up from 311 daily during the administration of former President Joe Biden. 

These executive orders have resulted in protests across the country, most recently the President’s Day protests led by the 50501 Movement, which stands for “50 protests, 50 states, one movement.”

Amid the changes to federal policy, OPRF leaders have voiced their continued support for diversity and inclusivity. “We are a school that, fortunately, for a long time has had supports in place and has valued its diversity and worked really hard to support all of the students of various identities who come through the school, and we will continue to do so,” said Johnson.

Johnson further reiterated that “through the executive orders and various things that have happened in our federal government over the past few years, they don’t change our state laws. Our state code and our school policies, those are all still in place.”

In his State of the State address on Feb. 20, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker advertised to the entire country that Illinois stands firm in the state’s tradition of smothering hate. “Humanity requires your courage, so gather your justice and humanity, Illinois, and do not let the tragic spirit of despair overcome us when our country needs us the most,” he said.

Despite the affirmations of the school and state, questions linger about whether federal policy will overrule other checks put in place. On Feb. 19, the official White House Instagram account shared a photo of a crowned President Trump next to a single message: “Long Live the King.”

This post, along with other executive actions and orders, has raised questions about the true extent of the power of the executive, and whether or not the checks and balances that have for centuries held up the democracy of the United States will be sufficient going forward.

Amid these concerns, Johnson said that OPRF is prepared for whatever may come. “We have procedures that we have put in place through our safety security team at the Welcome Center, and we actually have communicated these procedures with our folks who are working at our other doors,” he said. “So everybody knows that if we have an immigration official of any type coming into the school, we know exactly what the rules are.”

Johnson added, “This immediately becomes a legal process if somebody comes in, and we’re going to make sure that we handle this absolutely in accordance with the law.” He added, “But know that the ways in which officials would have access to the school are few.”

Johnson also noted that he is “talking to other superintendents (and) we’re talking to our legal teams. We’re reviewing the guidance that comes to us from the state of Illinois about how to handle these situations,” he said. Principal Lynda Parker is “collaborating with other principals about what folks are doing. So we will not be responding and navigating everything that’s going on in a vacuum. We have partners. We have peers who we can work with to help us.”

One such peer is the village of Oak Park itself, which on Monday, Feb. 10 issued a statement to the community that supports the inclusivity that OPRF has reaffirmed. Village President Vicki Scaman along with several Oak-Park based organizations came together at Unity Temple to echo Johnson’s previous statements.

“Oak Park’s historic commitment to fostering racial integrity and to cultivating diversity and equity will continue,” Scaman said. “Oak Park will stand in loving solidarity with our LGBTQ-plus siblings because we know that the right to love who we love and the right to be who we are will always be defended here.”

Like the village of Oak Park, OPRF currently has several programs aimed at supporting diversity, equity and inclusion. For instance, the school has an Office of Equity and Student Success, with a mandate to support a board policy that “holds the district accountable for eliminating racially predictable disparities in achievement.”

The school’s website lists eight programs aimed at supporting this goal, including regular professional development for teachers and a student group called the Student Equity and Belonging Council, formed in the spring of 2024.

This group looks at ways to create an inclusive school atmosphere (for more information about the group’s recent activities, see story below).

LaTonya Applewhite, one of the sponsors for SEBC and the director of Equity and Student Success, deferred to the previous statements of the district surrounding student safety and equity.

The student president of the SEBC, junior Ayanna O’Connor, said the group largely “gather(s) information from the student body about different things regarding equity, diversity and inclusion around our school.”

O’Connor has recently noted that the changes at the federal level have “put a lot of people at unease… I know (these changes) can just affect people’s personal lives, and then when they have to come to school, they’re thinking about that instead of thinking about what they have to do for the day, what they have to study for and they’re they’re not able to do as well as they can.”

In order to help those who may be concerned or afraid in the Oak Park community, the administration has stressed that “we still have each other’s backs,” said Johnson. “Our values are still our values, and we’re going to continue to do everything we can to live out those values in our institutions and in our community.”