Protesters rally outside Turning Point USA educators' summit in Lincolnshire, Illinois

Protesters were on hand as hundreds of educators from around the country are in Lincolnshire this week for an education summit hosted by Turning Point USA.

The conservative group was founded by the late Charlie Kirk.

Protesters showed up outside the event, armed with signs and their voices. Dozens gathered to protest the educators summit happening at the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort nearby, where there was a large and noticeable police presence.   

"We are here to speak out to let them know they are not welcome in Lake County," said Katie Salyer with Northeast Lake County Indivisible. 

"This is not the kind of hate that I want where I live," said protester Amy Frangquist.

Up to 600 educators are expected to attend the four-day Turning Point education event. 

The group was founded by Kirk. The northwest suburban native was assassinated in the fall of 2025 while speaking to students at a college in Utah.

"We have had a great mix of public school administrators, maybe about a third," said Turning Point's chief education officer, Hutz Hertzberg.

He says schools are loaded with what he calls "woke ideologies" and says Turning Point is dedicated to restoring God as the foundation of education.

"We believe that true education has to be God-centered and based on a biblical worldview," he said. "Gender-related issues, you know, we don't believe are neutral issues."

The progressive grassroots organization Indivisible organized Tuesday's rally.

Debbie Rakestraw, a retired public schools teacher, says there's no place for religion in schools.

"I go to church every Sunday, but that's where we teach our kids about our faith, not in a school," she said. 

"I don't want anyone to be excluded just because of who they are or how they were raised," Frangquist said.

Kirk's widow, Erika, is one of the keynote speakers at the summit.