Steve Sabovik, a male staff member at Owen Elementary, recently announced that he would now be addressed as "Ms. Madison Sabovik," with female pronouns. | Courage Is A Habit (X, Formerly Twitter)
Steve Sabovik, a male staff member at Owen Elementary, recently announced that he would now be addressed as "Ms. Madison Sabovik," with female pronouns. | Courage Is A Habit (X, Formerly Twitter)
Indian Prairie School District 204 recently notified parents that Steve Sabovik, a male staff member, would now be addressed as "Ms. Madison Sabovik," using female pronouns. Parent advocacy groups like Awake Illinois are urging families to resist “gender indoctrination” and offer resources to help parents opt out or seek alternative schooling options for their children.
“Children ought not be compelled to call a male teacher “Miss.” Stop forcing children to be complicit in a lie,” Awake Illinois wrote in an Oct. 22 social media post on X.
According to a release by Awake Illinois, on Oct. 20, Indian Prairie School District 204 informed parents that a male staff member, Steve Sabovik, now identifying as “Ms. Madison Sabovik,” will be referred to with female pronouns. This shift in identity and appearance has raised concerns among some parents. According to district guidelines, staff are encouraged to promote acceptance, urging students to support Sabovik’s transition. Sabovik works as the Director of the Library Media Center at Owen Elementary School.
“Because of the strong relationships I've built with students, parents and staff in the last eighteen years as a 4th grade teacher and now LMC director, I wanted to share important information with you directly,” Sabovik wrote in a letter to Owen families. “Beginning on Wednesday, October 23rd, my name will be Ms. Sabovik. Students will also notice a change in my appearance starting that day.
The district distributed a talking points memo that directed staff on how to respond to student questions and statements with answers including, “Remember, our LMC Director is now Ms. Sabovix,” “Let's support her,” and “Just like how we each choose our clothes and hairstyles, our LMC Director chooses how she expresses herself.”
Awake Illinois and Courage Is A Habit launched a campaign in response, advocating for parents’ rights to protect their children from “gender indoctrination,” offering resources for opting out and homeschooling. They also encourage parents to explore alternatives, such as approved absences and homeschooling, if they feel their child is exposed to gender identity discussions. The campaign further urges parents to attend school board meetings and vote on parental rights issues.
Awake Illinois was launched in May 2021 as a “grassroots movement of fellow parents and citizens who are committed to protecting our children, our liberties, and our American way of life.” Its first chapter was in Naperville.
Indian Prairie School District 204 is one of the largest school districts in Illinois, serving over 28,000 students across 33 schools in the suburbs of Chicago. The district includes parts of Naperville, Aurora, Bolingbrook, and Plainfield.
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