IMSA: A State facility for children with yearly reports of criminal sexual assault.Why are sex crimes reported every year at the IMSA facility? The Aurora Police Department has reports of sex offenses at the IMSA facility for 2021 (AUPR21011048), 2022 (AUPR22011698), 2023 (AUPR23002883), and 2024 (AUPR24017529). These are generally sealed reports involving juvenile victims.

IMSA executives dehumanize children of Asian ancestry in a breathtaking admissions scheme involving confidential test score data used for recruitment (click here).In just the last two years alone, 39,319 direct mailings were sent out in a breathtaking scheme that discriminated against minority children and people of color. Confidential State of Illinois test data was used to gain the identities of children on the basis of race. IMSA obtained this test data under the guise of a “research study.” This so-called “research” involves the use of state resources to print and send motivating words and a color viewbook to all high scorers of some specified races, but not others. IMSA did not ask for and did not receive the identities of all high-scoring children of Asian ancestry as it did for other minorities. Needless to say, this is an allegedly unconstitutional government scheme that harms, injures, and stigmatizes thousands of children, while also creating a hostile working environment for employees. Note that this is not just about admissions: IMSA is a government benefit program where all students receive free tuition, costing the taxpayer $100,000–$150,000 per graduate.

Board admits investigation into executives allegedly mistreating a child with cerebral palsy. Click for the email that prompted the investigation.At a recent Board of Trustees meeting, the chair admitted to the public, off the record, that IMSA is under investigation for allegedly mistreating a child with cerebral palsy. The child's mother alleges that her son had to withdraw after IMSA did not timely respond to her requests that her son have an appropriate educational program with sufficient time to get around the building. He was allegedly not even permitted adequate time to eat lunch, under constant threat of discipline. To add insult to injury, it is also alleged that IMSA is covering up the reason for his withdrawal by claiming that it was for “family” reasons rather than unacceptable conditions in the facility. It is also alleged that the child was subjected to an unlawful disability-related admissions screening (a different example of which is discussed below).

Executives subjected disabled children to humiliating interviews (example).Admissions personnel singled out students with disabilities for special interviews before making admissions decisions. Parents and their children say they were humiliated by this conduct. No reputable public institution would subject parents and students to these harmful screenings or otherwise consider disability status prior to sending out admissions letters.

Click for admission that IMSA executives openly refuse to provide special education and related services required by policy.Executives, including the President, allegedly refuse to perform their job duties, depriving talented children with special needs of an appropriate, evidence-based education every single day that IMSA is in operation. The Board of Trustees requires the provision of special education and related aids and services. Board policy is clear: academically qualified students must be educated regardless of the nature and severity of their disability. IMSA's president simply disregards policy and declines to offer an evidence-based education. He does not provide most special education and related services, adequate supplementary aids, personal services, diagnostics, the services of a child psychologist, or transportation. There seem to be no consequences for deceitful, flagrant policy violations.

Conditions at the IMSA facility are unacceptableA senior IMSA executive conducted research on behaviors at the State of Illinois facility. Among other things, a child reports staying up four nights in a row and hallucinating under government supervision. Parents expect a challenging, fast-paced curriculum, not a harmful environment.

(Audio) A legislator is “disgusted” and “appalled” by IMSA's PresidentClick above to hear a state legislator, on the record, disgusted and appalled by mismanagement at IMSA.

Help with insulin? Not so fast. IMSA has a long history of exclusionary communications (click here).IMSA operates summer camps for younger children, which is certainly commendable. Unfortunately, executives refuse to enforce basic standards of professional decency that apply even to privately operated camps. Title II of the ADA requires public programs for children to assist in the administration of insulin and other medications in order to ensure equal access. IMSA has a long history of attempting to exclude children from such programs by messaging that help with medications will not be provided. It is also notable that the summer camps webpage, among others, violates Illinois law by failing to comply with IITAA accessibility standards for state agencies. (Update: the rather odd, relatively hostile language on IMSA's website has been updated approximately 03/07/2025 to now indicate that requests for medication accommodations will be “considered.” It still does not comply with state accessibility law.)

IMSA selects students for programs based on gender and racial “traits.”State of Illinois employees selected students for the SRELO summer program unlawfully, openly choosing students based on prohibited factors, including race and gender. Open seats are available only after the prohibited selections occurred. Such priority and quota schemes have never been legal in districts that were not segregated. IMSA opened in 1986 as an integrated school.

IMSA executives recently sanctioned for unlawful conductIn recent years, three IMSA executives have been sanctioned for unlawful workplace conduct, including a principal and an HR director, and more are under investigation. This is a concerning and unusual amount of unlawful workplace conduct in a public program for children.

IMSA allowed children to sit at home with no documented educationIMSA reserves the right to put children on medical leave. Children are not to be put on medical leave in public education—they must be provided adequate daily instruction and related services even if homebound or hospitalized. A request for records showed that there were 25 times in the last three years where an IMSA student was absent more than 10 consecutive days. IMSA had no records or logs to demonstrate that these children received an education. IMSA also may be engaging in systemic discrimination by penalizing children for excused absences related to health or disability.

Pregnant Students Policy IMSA allegedly violated Title IX [every time it signed a grant agreement] for over thirty years with a policy that required women and girls to sign special waivers. Students who became pregnant were threatened with constructive expulsion. IMSA board members voted for this policy over and over again, raising questions about their dedication to respecting the rights of children.

IMSA is the last public school in Illinois effectively turning away children who use a wheelchairIMSA admitted that while it was a recipient of federal funds, it provided no services pursuant to Section 504 or IDEA to any student. Highly selective schools typically report an enrollment of 3%-9% students with disabilities, not zero.

Admissions personnel may engage in discriminatory conductIMSA admissions personnel appear to engage in the practice of “counseling out” children with disabilities. Admissions must not discourage children with disabilities from applying or enrolling. It is unethical and can be unlawful.

IMSA's director is openly involved in racial profiling schemes IMSA administrators, as public employees of the State of Illinois, appear to engage in coordinated schemes to racially profile children under the color of law, possibly doing so as an illegitimate means to inflate minority performance metrics. Here we see an email showing that the director was involved in the SRELO priority-enrollment scheme. No other school in Illinois has such a system of priority schemes.

IMSA demonstrates “hostility” to programming for children with disabilitiesAn analysis conducted by the U.S. Department of Education's contracted experts found that IMSA demonstrated some hostility to programming required for children with disabilities. IMSA did not adequately act to rectify this finding, as it still had no children officially receiving any services several years later.

IMSA admits to having no commuters For over thirty years, IMSA has allegedly used its residential program as a pretext for discrimination. U.S. Department of Education attorneys expressed concern that it would be discriminatory and pretextual to require children to sleep in a state bed as a condition of enrolling in a math and science diploma program. Sleeping in a state bed is not necessarily appropriate for some children with disabilities, many of whom may live within a modest commute. Additionally, failing to inform families of their rights may also be discriminatory. Update (12-2024): IMSA is allowing some students to check out after school regularly, but the option is not universally known to parents, students, and applicants, which is highly unethical if not unlawful.

While being subject to Section 504, IMSA had an IEP and 504 forfeiture scheme(Update: IMSA has ceased receiving federal research grants, federal education funds, and any federal nutrition assistance after complaints were filed against them.) IMSA required students to forfeit IEPs and 504 plans. This was likely systemic discrimination. IMSA also did not guarantee children a proper evaluation pursuant to Section 504, nor did it convene conventional IEP teams. Since about 1978, public schools have been required to provide evaluations, including medical and psychological diagnostics, at no cost to families. Failing to do so is typically adjudicated as systemic discrimination. Additionally, the State of Illinois is responsible for ensuring that children enrolled at IMSA receive an evaluation, when appropriate, meaning that it may have been failing to comply with federal program requirements.

IMSA students often drop out of school due to declining healthEvery year, a handful of IMSA students withdraw for “health” reasons. Why does IMSA's Board of Trustees lack curiosity as to what is happening to these children, especially given that IMSA's director allegedly revokes necessary accommodations, aids, and services.

IMSA's thirty-year-old admissions policies are unconstitutional and offensiveIMSA admissions are neither race nor gender blind and allow for prohibited race and sex balancing. The policy is: “The Academy shall ensure adequate geographic, gender, and ethnic representation in admission decisions by approximating the diversity of the applicant pool from among eligible applicants.” Disability status has also been considered inappropriately. Moreover, admissions involves a dated and inappropriate speculative calculus about applicant maturity and personal qualities. Considering the personal qualities of fourteen-year-olds in an application to a public program is offensive and ripe for abuse.

Was your child racially profiled in the summer SRELO program? Be sure to look through ALL INTERNAL SHEETS/TABS. This file was supplied by the FOIA office as is. We are not aware of any other public institution in Illinois [not subject to a desegregation plan] that would have gathered racial data to make selections for course assignments, summer programs, or really anything for that matter. If you would prefer a PDF copy, email us we'll put one up.

IMSA uses unconstitutional eligibility criteria in youth enrichment programsInstead of doing the hard work of identifying and recruiting a diverse group of children through legitimate means, IMSA simply appears to take a shortcut through discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin. Two children in the same household can differ in their eligibility for IMSA programming based on race alone. Advocacy groups challenged this program with the U.S. Department of Education. Unfortunately, IMSA ceased the receipt of all federal research grants, federal education funds, and any nutrition assistance, so it cannot be sanctioned through federal administrative proceedings. We hope the State of Illinois will initiate enforcement.

The State Board does not supervise IMSAThe Illinois State Board of Education has not been supervising IMSA to ensure that children are offered an appropriate education. The State Board of Education is responsible for ensuring that all students are offered an appropriate public education. Students and parents can decline to receive such an education, but it must be offered.

IMSA's principal may have treated children differently on the basis of raceOn page two of this report, IMSA's former principal appears to discuss treating “CLED” students differently in the delivery of an educational program. “CLED” is partly a racial classification.