The District 220 Board met last week, and we are here to report that the wheels are coming off the Ficke-Bradford, Collister-Lazzari, Altshuler and Chan Ding, Covid “Fear Mongering Foursome” cart.
If you didn’t attend or watch the meeting(video can be viewed here), it was primarily centered on discussions on Covid Protocols for the upcoming school year. Discussions that D220 parents have anxiously been awaiting so they can decide whether they will leave their kids in the tax funded District or pull them in favor of private, charter or home schooling.
Following are our takeaways from the meeting. We are focusing on the discussions surrounding the masking of your K-5 students, as a majority of the Board gave direction to the Superintendent to come up with a Mask Optional approach for the 6-12 students.
Most disturbing was Chan Dings’ reasoning behind denying parents of grade school students the right to choose whether their children should wear a mask, citing her own fears for her unvaccinated grade school child and wanting her to have an approved vaccine prior to sending her to school without a mask:
“Those parents with kids like me, who are 11 and under, I have one who is in the process of getting vaccinated, I have one who cannot yet get vaccinated, I would like to eventually vaccinate her, but until she is vaccinated, I’m not comfortable with her not wearing a mask while she’s indoors…”
Wang clarified Chan Ding’s comments, stating your daughter can still wear a mask. Chan Ding responded:
“She can still wear a mask but she’s extra vulnerable if unvaccinated kids are around her…”
Putting aside the fact that Chan Ding promised throughout her campaign that she would be an independent voice (…and we all know how long that lasted the minute she showed obvious collusion with Ficke-Bradford, Altshuler, and Collister-Lazzari within seconds of being sworn into office to destroy the decades old tradition and sided with the 3 of them to vote Wilcox out of any officer position on the board despite her 6 years of dedicated and impeccable service to Collister-Lazzari & Altshuler’s 2 years), last we checked, one is sworn to put aside personal motivations when acting on behalf of a community while serving on a school board. Ignoring the voices of in excess of 500 for ones self-serving interests is reason alone to call for a recall of Chan Ding.
We will have to keep a very close eye on Chan Ding moving forward as it appears she is in deep doo-doo with her campaign supporters. Some communications between Chan Ding and a person named Kyla were shared by Kyla on social media and it is apparent that Chan Ding is in major back pedal mode as a result of her position at the last meeting, assuring Kyla that:
“It has been a huge help to receive emails from people with your perspective, as we were getting crushed by emails from anti-maskers… we still need to know there’s a segment of the community that’s behind us doing responsible things… The anti-maskers are incredibly well-organized… This Wednesday, there will be the opportunity to call in a voicemail or show up in person to show the Board and the media who cover the meeting that the other side is just as passionate (and I hope, more respectful).”
It’s obvious now that Chan Ding is not the independent voice she promised to be. She believes there are sides, and she has taken one. She believes that those who asked her for mask choice are “anti-maskers”. She believes that those who came before her last week to advocate on behalf of their children are disrespectful. And she has also advised Kyla that “volume matters” and to encourage people to email and show up to address the Board on a mask mandate.
Perhaps most disturbing was the very palpable orchestration by Ficke-Bradford to manipulate the votes of Altshuler, Chan Ding, and Collister-Lazzari, when they failed to be able to closely adhere to what was obviously discussed by the four of them prior to meeting.
The pre-meeting discussions were as much admitted to by Chan Ding and reinforced by her jumping in at the very beginning of the discussion to seek a “compromise”. For those not familiar with the Open Meetings Act (OMA), discussions by board members are to be held in front of the public that they represent. Any discussion outside of the public by more than 3 members is a violation of the OMA. While there are ways around this, we doubt that these members are savvy enough to adhere to them.
So, how else could Chan Ding be seeking a compromise at the beginning of the meeting unless she’d already determined that there were members who weren’t in agreement with her? It seems the “Fear Mongering Foursome” was thrown off when the Board was provided four different options to pursue:
- Universal Masking
- Non-Vaccinated Masking
- Phased Masking, and
- Mask Optional
Ficke-Bradford reinforced the coercion of the Fear Mongering Foursome, re-directing the opinions of Altshuler and Collister-Lazzari who clearly desired Non-Vaccinated Masking, repeatedly saying each time after they voiced their opinion: “…it sounds to me like you are leaning towards phased masking…” which Chan Ding was in favor of for K-5 students.
“I’m for non-vaccinated masking for 6 to 12 and for masking for elementary, and then for phased masking for all of them…” Collister-Lazzari repeatedly stated, with Ficke-Bradford re-directing, because they had already lost the 6 to 12 discussions when Chan Ding agreed to Mask Optional for those grades with Karam, Wang and Wilcox. While the crowd did become boisterous on occasion, Collister-Lazzari showed herself to be completely incapable of living in reality:
“I don’t think it’s fair to blame the school board for closing school last year… for having kids be at home… I think there was a pandemic and school was closed all over the world…”
So, the inability to open D220 schools is our fault due to Covid and not the school board that she was a member of and that voted to keep schools closed? Yet the new Superintendent came from a school district that remained open during the spring semester, so it can’t be Covid, can it?
According to Collister-Lazzari, we should be rejoicing those kids are going back to school. But she fails to mention that the decision to do so came amidst a mandate from the Illinois State Board of Education that schools return to in-person learning this fall. I think we all know where Collister-Lazzari’s vote would have been on the issue absent the mandate.
Altshuler “shared his heart…” admitting there were hundreds of emails and he was not capable of responding to all of them, in favor of Mask Optional. We know that any insinuation that there was a vocal pro-mask population out there before the meeting was false when Karam responded to Collister-Lazzari’s claim that people in favor of masking may have stayed home to attend the meeting online (as Collister-Lazzari commanded all critics of her and her band of maskers should) sharing that the BOE members had received only seven (7) communications advocating for masks compared to the countless ones requesting the BOE to make masks optional.
Altshuler, further sharing his heart, stated
“… if we say no masking, or mask optional, then I feel like we are prejudiced against the people who want to mask…”
What?! Offering a choice is a sign of prejudice? When questioned by the crowd that it was clearly not prejudicial since people would have the option, pointing out that Altshuler himself was wearing a mask at his own discretion, he responded:
“I have a mask on because I’m not feeling well and I don’t want to get everyone else sick. I’m trying to be a good citizen…”
Yet we know this ‘good citizen’ was not wearing a mask before the public meeting, having seen him walking around inside the building prior to the meeting without one. Rumor has it he didn’t have one on in closed session either.
Perhaps Altshuler was suddenly overcome with sickness when he saw that hundreds of parents and children of D220 had shown up to speak their voice on allowing mask choice to the students of D220? Whatever the cause, we know from Alshuler’s public comments during meetings and on his social media pages that he admonished people to “Stay home if unwell” and “Stay home when we are not feeling well,” so the ‘good citizen’ doc should have followed his own advice and removed himself from the meeting as soon as he was not feeling well. (See Facebook posts of Barry Altshuler – 220 School Board on January 9 and March 5, 2021).
After all, what was the point of his presence when there was no formal vote on the agenda and everyone on the Board seemed to already know that he is in favor of keeping the District, possibly the world, in masks? At one point in discussing a future meeting on the subject, the new Superintendent leaned over to Altshuler and said to him:
“Well let’s be honest, your vote is not going to change… your vote is not going to change to vote unmasked…” and our resident pediatrician responded, “I cannot get to unmasking…”
So, finally some honesty from the ‘good citizen’.
It appears that Ficke-Bradford has lost more than just control of the room (has anyone ever banged a gavel more), she has also lost control of the Fear Mongering Foursome, despite her constant attempts to re-phrase their opinions and to direct their ‘votes’ … “it sounds to me like you are leaning towards…”
there is always one.
Altshuler has told people that he was wearing a mask because he was concerned that the anti-mask crowd in the audience might infect him, despite admitting that he was vaccinated during the meeting. If true, he apparently pre-judged the audience as anti-mask before even walking into the room, since he came in with the mask on. And, what explains his wearing of the mask at prior meetings where the large crowd wasn’t present? Was he sick then too? Why isn’t Dr. Barry quarantining instead of subjecting everyone to his germs? This man has a lot of explaining to do. He can start with apologizing to the Strobl children for discussing them in 2 prior meetings and end with apologizing for his abysmal representation of the students of 220 and failure to follow the true science that he as a pediatrician should know relative to the rate of infection in kids in the age group of K-5. Dr. Barry gets an F.
I am extremely disappointed in Altshuler’s actions in coming to the meeting sick. I have an immune compromised student and I felt it important to attend the meeting to let my voice be heard. Shame on him for having rules for others and not himself. I just about fell out of my chair when he commented on being sick. He jeopardized everyone’s health in that room and is a hypocrit by his own words and actions. Masks have holes too big to protect us completely from covid. Altshuler, please step down and let a true leader step up. Our children and citizens deserve better.
So ashamed of this community being brain washed by YouTube videos. Science has proven that masking helps reduce the spread of covid19. It’s literally common sense that those who are unvaccinated should remain masked indoors around those who are or can’t yet (I.e. kids under 12). I can only pray that 220 does the ethical thing and reverses their decision at the high school level and follows CDC, IDPH, and LCHD guidelines for this school year for masking. Shame on the rest of you who want to jeopardize the health and future of our kids.
It’s not a mistake that each child is born with two parents, one male, one female. Parents have spent years, many without sleep, tending to every single need of their child. Parents know what is best for their own, individual child. It is confusing as to why anyone would care what the CDC, IDPH and LCHD guidelines are and it is doubtful they are ethical, as they are written by a bunch of government bureaucrats with a political agenda. Erin Chan Ding, if you are reading this, think about finding new friends. Avoid the friends that use the words “science,” “do your research,” and “I wear a mask for others,” in their quest to control the lives of everyone else.
Thank you for posting this. It really epitomizes the selfish, self-centered, angry, and ignorant perspective that keeps us in a pandemic months after he widespread availability of a vaccine.
If I had to guess, you’re probably mad because everywhere else in your life it’s ok for you to be completely indifferent to others and do whatever you feel like, but you can’t quite control public school. You probably hear about a COVID death and the first thing you ask is “Did they have a pre-existing condition?” You have probably lied on COVID forms for your children and yourself because who cares? And now YOU recommend watching out for anyone that uses the word “science” as some sort of dog whistle for the untrustworthy.
Thanks, but I’ll take my advice from someone else. I wonder if your parents (one male, one female, the only acceptable arrangement) would be proud of who you’ve become?
Maybe the reason one is kept in a “pandemic” is because of the teacher’s unions. Randi Weingarten, the American Federation of Teachers union President tweeted out just today 7/19/21…..”The right wing may not be worried about #Delta variant but Wall street is…..Dow suffers biggest drop of the year as Delta variant fears hit the stock market hard.”
How do you convince people to give up their rights? How do you keep kids home from school for a full school year? FEAR
Ok , plain and simple. Is a single student or teacher death ok with you? And would you wear a mask if it meant that number had a better chance of staying zero? I wear a mask for you and for everyone else. We’re not taking about the stock market here. We’re not talking about the American Federation of Teachers. I don’t give a shit about them. A year from now I want to see everyone at a farmers market in downtown Barrington. I want to see you at Cook Street coffee, and fight you over some of those donuts. I want to see Farmhouse on North full again. We’re not going to get there with you quoting politicians about sides. You grew up watching physicians wearing masks when it was important. It’s important now. No one is asking you to donate a kidney. Is this really so hard?
Can it be proven that masking children at school will save even one life? Scientific studies do show that eating donuts can lead to heart disease and other long-term health issues. So, Not eating the donut from Cook St coffee, would be a much better health decision than telling a child to wear a mask.
47 studies on ineffectiveness
https://vaccineeffects.org/47-studies-confirm-inefectiveness-of-masks-for-covid-and-32-more-confirm-their-negative-health-effects-news/
Did you just comment on a blog, citing another blog to substantiate your position? This isn’t any more of a news source than “vaccineeffects.org”. 47 studies my ass.
BHO, please get back to the equestrian living focus we come here for. We didn’t vote for Erin but you’re a little obsessed with her.
Erin Ding Dong needs to go. She is a mouth piece for the union. She claims to be an independent yet she was endorced by the union and received campaign contributions from ipace (a leftist pac that gave over $2MM to the now disgraced Mike Madigan). Ipace donates exclusively to democrats. Get these radicals off of our board! Save 220! Come to the board meeting and stand up to these radicals!
Who wrote this? I’ve tried to read it like 10 times and it’s still like a diary entry?!
“Erin [racist pun]. She is a mouth piece for the union.” Said the anonymous internet Chad who hasn’t researched anything for himself. I can agree or disagree with the BOE members without being so goddamn precious.
Calm down, Karen. “Ding dong” is not racist.
I don’t understand who Kyla is? Is she important?
There were Facebook groups formed during the pandemic shutdown of the D220 schools, one focused on safely reopening schools and returning students to the classroom and another focused on keeping students in distance learning and not returning to in person learning. Kyla is a member of the distance learning page and was a Ding supporter in her election. Kyla posted on the distance learning page following the last meeting that she had voiced her disappointment of the board decision to Erin and she attached the screenshots of her communications with Erin to the post which got spread around and apparently ended up on the Observer.
Ok, the meeting was a four hour shitshow. I don’t know about the rest of y’all but no one had a handle on that ridiculous display and I don’t have time to make it my part time job to watch BOE meetings. If you ignore the weird gender offended chiropractor and the white supremacist, what you had was a very poorly orchestrated bitch-fest about policies while the board basically tried to have its meeting at the same time. All the things in the post above might be true, who could tell? It was four hours! I think we can all agree that the public rants are taking up too much time. Let’s get to a sensible way to collect public comments and still actually hear the board.
I’ve been following the Barrington Hills Observer for many years now and the article seems like a guest piece. If that’s that case can you sign it that way? It’s very helpful to know whose perspective we’re reading.
I’d also like to understand the rules that are being broken. It sounds like the school board plays it fast and loose with the rules they are supposed to follow. It would be helpful to know if rules are broken.
We pay over $34,000 in property tax every year and it will continue to go up…. Can we have a refund of the part that goes to the school district??? We don’t have kids or grandkids and we don’t benefit from it at all. What a waste of our hard-earned money with all these goofballs that tell everyone else and their families what to do and how to live their life. We had it, lived thru it and have natural immunity, we need oxygen, sunshine and happiness. Life goes on and we are not going to live in fear for the rest of our lives and the continuance of government control in every aspect of our life.
Script and vote were practiced in advance by the four. Ding is just a god-awful actor.
The meeting was a 3-ring circus. Three of the board members stated their position for mask optional clearly and without any interference from the board president. Two stated their position for mask optional only for the vaccinated and one indicated she favored mask optional for middle and high school with phased masking for elementary. The board president interfered multiple times with those positions. I’d like to know why.
Time to split our schools into 2 different learning environments. One for the maskturds and Faucists one for the rest of us.
I imagine that the scariest part of that would be the 70% of the parents and their tax dollars going to the schools that teach independence, individual responsibility and uphold constitutional protections. This might cut into what Dist 220 schools really have become and that’s a jobs program for leftist adults who have been allowed and encouraged by the weak boards and superintendents to further destroy the already failing American public school system. These indoctrination camps need to compete. Make your tax dollars portable where your child goes to school and that solves this idiocy immediately.
Oh jeez, you think 7 out of 10 people in the community think like you? That has to be a typo. If 70% of community members felt that way, why are the reopeners (now anti-mask, anti-vax, our air but my rights first-ers) having to recruit participants from surrounding districts to attend our BoE meetings? If 70% of us felt the way you do, why do you have to try so hard to look big?
Recruit? What meeting were you attending? All of the people speaking for mask optional had children in the district. On the other hand, the ridiculous call in fiasco introduced by Fickle Bradford yesterday, all sounded like the Charlie Brown teacher or some awful late night infomercial. Yeah. They really dialed it in. I wonder how much those actors were paid. I hear Blago is taking money for stuff like that if you want to add some excitement to the circus act.
Keep up your shit show, clowns. All of these racist, homophobic and white supremacy slurs will last forever online. Your kids, if they grown up to be decent human beings, will be so proud to see Dad and Grandma and Grandma acting like selfish pigs.
Ding seems to enjoy all of the attention she’s getting. Even when it’s negative comments at the few meetings she’s attended, she always has a satisfied smile in her face. There’s a word for that…