The District 220 Board of Education’s (BOE) ‘Policy Committee,’ made up of Members Wilcox and Chan Ding meets tomorrow, February 14, at 8:00 AM at the District Office, 515 W. Main St. The meeting is open to the public, and we think presents a good opportunity to address some major policy concerns that have come out in the last several months. A copy of the agenda can be found here.
First, as we reported previously, BOE Member and incumbent candidate Leah Collister-Lazzari took a three week vacation/business trip(?) to New Zealand and is being investigated for violations of the Open Meetings Act (OMA) by calling into the December 20th BOE meeting and remotely voting on the District’s levy.
The OMA only allows a member to vote remotely on an action item if not physically present due to illness or traveling for Board business or traveling for one’s occupation. There is no doubt in most people’s minds that it is inconceivable that Collister-Lazzari was in New Zealand for three weeks on business, particularly where all evidence shows she is not even employed.
Second, the date of the Policy Committee meeting is rather opportune given that Member and incumbent candidate Barry Altshuler intends to violate District Policy 2:105 and participate in a live Q&A & V-Day donuts with the BHS Democrats at the high school at that same time.
Chapter 2 of the Barrington 220 School District Policy Manual specifically governs the actions of the BOE. Policy 2:105 prohibits political activity:
No Board member … shall intentionally use any District property or resources in connection with any political activity.
Altshuler is actively running for a second term on the school board in the upcoming April 4 election. In the four years he has been on the BOE, has he bothered to read the policies that govern his actions as a BOE Member?
If he gave it the same attention he gave to his oath to protect the doctor/patient relationship under HIPAA that precludes him from publicly discussing a patient’s care during a BOE meeting, we’d guess not. Did Altshuler ever apologize to Alex Strobl for that HIPAA violation?
Third, this would also be an opportune time for the Policy Committee to discuss the infringement on the property of the District’s logo (see below) for political purposes by incumbent candidates Collister-Lazzari and Altshuler.
The D220 logos are the property of the District and are being utilized by Collister-Lazzari and Altshuler on their campaign websites, social media, flyers and signs. Again, this use is a clear violation of Policy 2:105.
Additionally, we believe the use violates policies 5:125(7) and 8:90 which hold that personnel:
…Refrain from using the District’s logos without permission and follow Board policy 5:170, Copyright, and all District copyright compliance procedures, and
Parent organizations and booster clubs are recognized by the Board and permitted to use … any logo attributable to the District provided they first receive the Superintendent or designee’s express written consent.
So, are Altshuler and Collister-Lazzari superior to the employees and parents of the District such that they can ignore the requirements the BOE they are Members of places on those groups for the Superintendent’s written consent and appropriate District property in their own political campaign without it? We find it hard to believe the District would have provided such written consent.
But, if in fact permission was asked for and given, the public can then assume the District is explicitly endorsing candidates and engaging in electioneering. Perhaps an enterprising community member would like to ask these questions, as well as others, at the February 14th BOE Policy meeting.
Given Wilcox’s legal background and her unfortunate imminent departure from the BOE, we look forward to her position on these matters. Stay tuned…
Related: “Who’s minding Leah and Barry’s campaign finances,” “What 220 voters need to know continued, including our recommendations,” “What 220 voters need to know,” “220 Parents call BS!”
This is outrageous. How is D220 legal counsel allowing this to take place without pushback? Kriha Boucek espouses to ‘hold school districts to a higher standard’ yet they’ve done nothing to stop these flagrant violations of sitting BOE members. One can only surmise this is because these two are handpicked by the BEA. Remember when these attorneys referred to D220 parents’ concerns as ‘word salad’?
Did anyone receive the email yesterday from Barrington 220 Board of Education? It stated, “The Board acknowledges the significance of stability and continuity in the district during this time of transition, and it has reached a decision on the next Superintendent of Schools.“ How is it possible that they have “reached a decision“ when they have not had a public meeting discussing this matter? They are not allowed to take final action at a closed meeting. “Final action. No final action may be taken at a closed meeting. Final action shall be preceded by a public recital of the nature of the matter being considered and other information that will inform the public of the business being conducted.”
How many times can Sandra Ficke-Bradford cause this board to violate the open meetings act?
At this point we have three sitting board members, one being the President, that have clearly violated the BOE policies and they have not faced any consequences, nor have they been dismissed from their duties. Who is covering for them?! What examples are we setting for the students and community. How are student detentions fair then?! If we started a lawless trend, then it should apply to all in the district, correct?! Leah Collister-Lazzari and Barry Altshuler are a disgrace to our district. Sandra Ficke-Bradford, is the BOE President who allows special treatment and unlawful proceedings to take place. She should also be dismissed from her position. We need to start fresh, with board members, who actually know what is going on in the district and have students and faculty set as priority! Financial well being of the district must be audited as well! Leah Collister-Lazzari is the first one screaming “equity” and the first one to vote NOT to waive the kindergarten enrichment fee! Is that equitable?! Public school seems like a privilege for many, family of 4 students in the district, one being in Kindergarten Enrichment will pay appropriately $5,000 for the kids to “belong” to the district. If they can’t afford the Enrichment, they do not “belong.” Isn’t that ironic?! Vote OUT Leah Collister-Lazzari and Barry Altshuler! They have done enough harm to our babies!