IEA Region 2

09/27/2026

“Someone struggled for your right to vote. Use it.” ~Susan B. Anthony

Early voting began in Illinois on Thursday, September 24th. Make your plan to vote NOW!

No matter where one stands politically, everyone can agree that elections in America should be free and fair. Pledge to support free, fair, respected and safe elections.

09/25/2026

IEA members,

From Oct. 5-15, the IEA Vice President Gina Harris and the IEA Budget Committee will be hosting multiple budget listening sessions—and it is important that rank-and-file members stay informed and make their voice heard in this work! This is an opportunity to understand more about our union's budget, ask questions and provide feedback.

To ensure representation from our diverse membership, the hearings will be divided into different sessions. Please see the dates and times listed in the sign up link and sign up for a session that applies to you.

SIGN UP NOW!

# # _Please read session information below before signing up:_ To ensure representation from our diverse membership, the hearings will be divided into different sessions. Please sign up for one that applies to you: **October 5** - 5:00-6:00pm Ethnic Minority Membership - 6:30-7:30pm Higher Education....

09/23/2026

Election Day is Nov. 3! Our democracy is strongest when every eligible voter has an equal voice and when every vote is counted. Join IEA in supporting free and fair elections! Learn how you can get involved and take action to protect our democracy: https://ieanea.org/free-and-fair-elections/

09/22/2026

According to SIU’s flight logs, they first deployed their drone on Aug. 25, 2025. The SIU police department launched the drone 411 times between then and Dec. 30, 2025.

Of the 586 law enforcement agencies that responded to the ICJIA report, 281 reported owning drones. Among those 281 agencies, SIU’s total drone deployments ranked seventh, despite its submitted log covering only about four months.

When the comparison is limited to Aug. 25 through Dec. 30, SIU ranked second, behind only the Chicago Police Department, which recorded 891 flights during that period.

SIU ranked first in total drone deployments among the four university police departments that reported drone ownership in Illinois. The others are the University of Illinois, University of Illinois Chicago and Lewis University.

The flight logs are an agency-submitted account of the flights. They do not include the underlying dispatch recordings, complete incident reports or supervisor approvals needed to reconstruct every deployment decision

On Aug. 14, as students were returning to campus for the fall semester, a unique email landed in university inboxes: The Southern Illinois University Department of Public Safety said that SIU police officers had launched a drone to help them locate an “emotionally distressed individual” who was ...

09/21/2026

A federal judge struck down a 2025 order from the Trump administration that cut hundreds of millions of dollars in teacher training money.

U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Massachusetts wrote in her order that the Education Department’s directive violated federal law and was arbitrary and capricious.

In February 2025, the Education Department cut about $600 million in grants for teacher training, characterizing them as supporting “divisive ideologies” such as diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The grants were intended to address teacher shortages.

Read more: nbcnews.to/4iCCnwA

09/19/2026

HELP US Celebrate Higher Ed Month in October. Make a commitment to do something on this list.

How can you, your local, your school, or your community get involved??

09/17/2026

“Southern Illinois University Carbondale even employs a Flock surveillance drone that costs more than $40,000 a year.”

“Some students and faculty say the use of Flock equipment to surveil American campuses is especially troubling because universities are meant to be places where people can discuss and study ideas freely. They worry Flock cameras could be used to identify and discipline students and faculty if they attend a protest or express opinions universities and the federal government find problematic.”

“People worry “they will be singled out, they could face repercussions, and all of that is really, in my mind, antithetical to the ideals of the university,” said Torin Monahan, a surveillance researcher at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.”

“The presence of Flock cameras adds another layer of concern at schools like UIC that pride themselves on supporting underrepresented and marginalized students, because the data collected can endanger immigrant and international students and students of color.”

The list includes the state’s two largest public campuses, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Illinois Chicago. Altogether, the five universities have spent nearly half a million dollars on AI-powered surveillance services from Flock.

09/17/2026

Educators are raising alarms about the impact on student learning and how much school funding is lost when the tech industry receives massive tax breaks to build data centers in their communities.

09/15/2026

2026 Early Career 🍁 Fall Blitz in Bloomington or Oak Brook

📆 October 24th

Connect with fellow Early Career educators (years 1 to 10) from your area and across the state. Learn how to get involved with IEA, take part in decision making bodies, and talk election related action for public education.

Point of Contact: Jill Haacke

Join members of the Early Career Committee and other local Early Career educators (years 1-10 in the profession) in your area as well as those across the state. We hope to connect and learn together to share how you can get involved with IEA as an early career educator, how to have a small part in d...

09/15/2026

Aspiring Educators,

Kick off your 2026 year at the Fall Retreat at the PDC in Springfield. You'll get key info on unionism and elections, connect with the IEA network, and meet your state leadership team and members from your area.

📆 October 3rd

Join your fellow members at the 2026 Fall Retreat to kick off your year as an Aspiring Educator! This one day event will be full of information you will need for the upcoming year and it will give you a chance to meet your state leadership team and other members in your area! Attendees are encourage...