Illinois Family Institute is calling for the immediate resignation of Kevin Jennings, the newly appointed Assistant Deputy Secretary of the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools. In this position, Jennings would become the second-in-command in the Department of Education. 

Arne Duncan’s appointment of Jennings, with his long history of homosexual activism, is an affront to taxpayers, especially families of children who attend public schools. Jennings is the founder and former executive director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). During his tenure as executive director of GLSEN, Jennings oversaw the infamous education conference held at Tufts University formally entitled “Teach Out,” but later referred to as “Fistgate” due to the obscene and deviant sexual practices to which teachers introduced teens.

Prior to his position with GLSEN, Jennings worked as a history teacher at Concord Academy, a private high school in Massachusetts where Jennings was involved in yet another scandal when he neglected to inform the authorities of his knowledge of a minor male student having sexual contact with an adult male. Not only did Jennings not report the sexual abuse as required by law, but in his book One Teacher in Ten, Jennings shared that he “listened, sympathized, and offered advice” to the 15-year-old student.

Jennings has demonstrated rabid intolerance of conservative beliefs regarding the nature and morality of homosexuality and made unprofessional statements regarding those whose hold views different from his own.

He has demonstrated repeatedly that he is divisive, unprofessional, and woefully ill-equipped to make schools or students safe. With scores of worthy candidates from which to choose, IFI is calling upon Arne Duncan to appoint someone whose interest is truly in keeping children safe, rather than someone whose main goal is the normalization of homosexual behavior.

IFI believes that schools have no right to affirm homosexual behavior to a captive young audience. Because of Jennings’ background and ideology, we call upon him to immediately step down from this high level position.