Will County Gazette

Lincoln-Way West High School students seeking to start a Turning Point USA chapter are facing hurdles from the district, which initially told them the group was “too political,” according to parents and local Republican leaders. Some students have also expressed fear of signing the petition to form the club, raising questions about whether the district treats conservative and progressive student organizations equally.

Lincoln-Way West is located in New Lenox and is part of Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210, which includes four high schools and serves about 6,700 to 6,750 students in grades 9–12.

New Lenox Republican Party Chair Debbie Andrews said students have collected fewer than half of the 25 signatures required to start a new club. She said she is concerned the district may resist approving the group, which seeks affiliation with a national organization that promotes conservative values and political engagement.

Debbie Andrews, New Lenox Republican Party Chair, says she is watching out to see how Lincoln-Way West’s treats the students seeking to form a Turning Point USA club. | Facebook / Debbie Andrews

“During Covid parents started to notice all sorts of woke nonsense, like DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) and critical race theory, coming out of Lincoln-Way High School and the district at large,” Andrews told the Will County Gazette. 

She said parents have continued to raise concerns in recent years.

“It seemed to have gone away for a while, but now it's back again,” Andrews said. “I'll be keeping an eye on this, and I will follow up once the students have gathered enough signatures in order to start their club.”

Andrews said she expects the district may challenge the students’ efforts even if they meet the signature requirement.

“I’d be surprised if the school district didn’t push back on it even if they do receive the required number of signatures,” she said.

Christina Clausen, Will County Republican Party Chair, advocates for Lincoln-Way West students seeking to form a Turning Point USA chapter, saying the district is creating “unnecessary hoops” for the club’s approval. (Facebook / Christina Clausen )

Will County Republican Party Chair Christina Clausen said she learned of the students’ effort through social media and stepped in to help raise awareness. Clausen said several parents told her students had initially been told a Turning Point USA chapter was inappropriate before the school allowed the petition drive to begin.

“They basically said it was too political and they couldn't do it,” Clausen told the Will County Gazette. “Then they ended up allowing them to do it, but now they're having them jump through hoops and do a bunch of things. So I simply said, well, what exactly are the other clubs there? I've never heard of any other clubs having a hard time being established or anything like that.”

Clausen said she filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking information on the district’s approval process and whether other clubs, including the Gay/Straight Alliance, were evaluated under the same standards. She said her objective is to support students forming any club.

“It's keeping them off the street,” she said. “Why wouldn't you let them have a club? It's because of what it is. Let's put it where it's at. I don't have a vested interest in this or any of it; I'm just trying to help.”

She said some students have been reluctant to sign the petition because they fear drawing attention to their political views.

“I have talked to several students that I know who go there, my friends' kids, relatives' kids, and every single one of them is very conservative,” she said. “Their parents are very conservative, and they all said they will not sign that petition. They said it's because then they’re on a hit list and it could affect college admissions, sports, and other opportunities.”

The issue gained broader attention after Clausen posted on Facebook urging residents to support the students. In the post, she said the school was “making them jump through unnecessary hoops.”

“Every student deserves the same opportunity to form a club, regardless of their viewpoint,” she wrote. “In the meantime, these kids are showing courage, leadership, and a love for their country. Let's lift them up and show them they are NOT alone.”

Clausen said her goal was to highlight broader concerns about student expression.

“I'm trying to raise awareness about this,” she said. “This is a good thing. Turning Point USA is about freedom of speech. Why don't we want our kids involved in their civic duty? We need voters. We need to look for new leaders. I don't see why it's a bad thing.”

The push comes weeks after Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during a university event in Utah on Sept. 10. Kirk, 31, was a native of Arlington Heights and founded the organization in 2012 from a garage in Lemont. It has since grown to more than 3,000 chapters at high schools and colleges.

Following Kirk’s death, Turning Point USA reported receiving more than 37,000 new chapter requests nationwide, encouraged in part by statements from Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, urging students to continue his work.

At Lincoln-Way West, the local effort reflects that surge and has become part of broader debates about political expression and viewpoint diversity in Illinois schools.

Will County Board member Steve Balich advocates for equal support for conservative student groups, saying Lincoln-Way West students seeking a Turning Point USA chapter are promoting civic awareness and constitutional education. (Steve Balich)

Will County Board member Steve Balich, who knew Kirk when he was young, said he believes Turning Point USA helps promote civic literacy.

“The schools taught the people who are teachers now to be lefties,” Balich told the Will County Gazette. “And so the superintendents and all the staff, and for the most part everybody associated with schools, are extreme left. They're not middle of the road. I mean, there are people who are not extreme left, but for the most part they don't believe anything the conservatives believe."

Balich said Kirk encouraged students to focus on subjects he believes have received less emphasis in public schools.

“They didn't learn anything religious in school at all,” he said. “And then they didn't learn anything that revolved around civics. We all took civics and understood that we had to know the Constitution. Not too many people can recite it, but people were taught it. They taught the Constitution and other things….we learned all that stuff and then we understood it, and they don't teach that anymore. As a matter of fact, it's so bad in school.”

Balich said the district should apply consistent standards to all student organizations.

“I think the way it should be is that they get the parents in that school district involved,” he said. “They should have somebody in that group who is a lawyer, and they should sue the school for discrimination because if they have the Gay-Straight Alliance club and different clubs for left-leaning students, they should have one for people who like Turning Point.”