In the wake of many instances wherein The Observer has set forth the conflict of interest and the blatant violations of D220’s Code of Conduct and Board Policies by Board Member Erin Chan Ding, we have recently learned that Chan Ding’s violations continue and, due to complete lack of accountability by District Superintendent Winkelman and Board President Ficke Bradford, Chan Ding has actually been emboldened.
You’ll recall that at the July 15th Board of Education meeting, President Ficke Bradford asserted:
“As many are aware, District 220 Board Member Erin Chan Ding has declared her intent to run for State Representative of the 52nd District, and it’s within Erin’s right to do so, and Erin is aware of the Board policies and the laws that are in place.
We have consulted with our counsel, um, to confirm that merely running for an office, um, for political office, while refraining from engaging in any prohibited political activity while acting as a Board member or on School District property does not constitute a violation of the Board’s Code of Conduct. Erin and all Board Members are aware of the policies the Board does have in place.”
In fact, there are D220 Policies that specifically address these issues (in addition to those we have previously brought to the readers’ attention):
8:25 Advertising and Distributing Materials in Schools Provided by Non-School Related Entities
Political Candidates or Parties
Candidates and political parties will not be accepted for posting or distribution, except when used as part of the curriculum.
And,
2:105 Ethics and Gift Ban
Prohibited Political Activity
The following precepts govern political activities being conducted by District employees andBoard of Education members:
2. No Board member or employee shall intentionally use any District property or resources in connection with any political activity.
Yet, despite the direct admonition of Board President Ficke Bradford, and the explicit prohibition of political activity by two Board policies, we are given to understand that Board Member Chan Ding, in her dual capacity as a D220 Board Member and as a political candidate for the Democratic nomination for the 52nd District, attended both the Barrington High School and the Station Middle School Back to School nights, on School District property, where she handed out her political flyers for her run for the 52nd District and solicited signatures for her petitions to get on that ballot.
Craig and Sandra, your credibility is shot. You continually allow Chan Ding to flagrantly violate Board policy without any admonition, abusing her power, departing from the Board’s purpose, and destroying the public trust.
Shame on you.
Related: “District 220 Board of Education meets tonight (9.15.25),” “District 220 posts Notice of Tentative Budget Public Hearing,” “Dual School Board and State Rep Positions Legally Incompatible,” “D220 Abuses Taxpayer Funds in favor of Partisan Campaign,” “Ding In Her Own Words – CONFLICTED!,” “District 220 Board of Education meets this evening (07.15.25)” “Ding Doubles Down,” “Ding’s D220 Deception,” “Chan Ding running in Democratic primary in 52nd,” “Three (3) Democratic candidates queued to run for the IL 52nd District House seat in 2026”
The problem here goes well beyond one Board member’s actions — it’s a pattern of disregard for accountability and transparency.
I’ve personally reached out to the Board about serious issues, including failures in communication during school lockdowns, and my concerns went completely unanswered. Most recently, I sent another email regarding this very situation, and again there was no response. It’s clear that unless you’re offering praise, anything that challenges their carefully maintained image gets ignored.
Meanwhile, we see blatant violations of policy:
• Policy 2:105 explicitly prohibits using District property or resources for political activity. Yet we now have photos and FOIA evidence showing campaign activity occurring on school grounds.
• Spending is out of control, budgets are blown, and academic results remain average — while leadership plays by their own rules and shields each other from scrutiny.
This has become a private club, not a representative body serving students and families. They champion empty “inclusion” initiatives while shutting out constructive feedback and treating residents like they’re too ignorant to notice.
Barrington 220 is supposed to be about educating and protecting our kids — not partisan politics, not self-promotion, and not personal agendas. The community deserves better, and it’s time to demand real accountability instead of more excuses and hollow promises.
Would be good for you to ask the board president about this tonight, Sam. How can she change her stance from what she said in July?
Sam. I could not have written it better myself. You hit the nail on the head. We learned back when we were furious about the books in the elementary schools and middle schools. Going to board meetings and sending emails is just a complete waste of time. They laugh at the people that have legit concerns. The problem, as it was back then, is a very small number of the concerned residents ever speak up. People are more concerned about being attacked and not liked than they are getting results. It will just continue as it has unfortunately.