My Comments at the October 19th Regular Board Meeting

I found it curious that two members of the board were so actively involved in knowing who was speaking inj favor of the girls basketball coaches, wanting names, even if they hadn't turned in a card to speak. If there had been a vote taken on the issue, three of them would have had to recuse themselves which wouldn't leave a quorum.What happened is part of what should have happened with the original complaints following the June 19th Regular Board Meeting. An executive session would have been called for complainants to make their case, for defendants to make their case and present the witnesses that showed up and spoke last Wednesday, for questioning to take place and then a decision to be made. However, in the sequence the board chose to take, was to stop citizen input, not to hold an executive session to hear those wanting to speak, to send it to their insurance company, they were the "independent investigator". Did the independent investigator interview the coaches? Did the independent investigator interview the complainants and those wanting to speak? What was the reason given to close the case?

There was no evidence of harassment or bullying on the part of the coashes giving them freedom to continue coaching the way they were coaching? Throwing clip boards. Having tantrums? Remeber Bob Knight? If this was not the case, what was it?

The complainants didn't follow the correct procedures and therefore didn't need to be investigated further?

The time-limit on the bullying had passed?

The complaints were not from students currently enrolled in the District 17C school system? They had graduated.

Other reason?

What is important to understand is that if there was a complaint to the school board about misappropriation of funds, that is a secondary and separate issue. Bullying is the primary issue and it feels like Wednesday night was just another case of bullying, with active participation from at least two board members, with no balance. If there is a complaint, it must be done in private. However, if there is a complaint about the people making the complaint (retribution) that can be fully explored in a regular public board meeting without any time controls, or stopping the speakers when they talked about the complainants.

It seems like this board and district, as in the past, only follows policy when it benefits them but they require complainants to follow policy regardless and then often don't act on it.

The message once again the those who believe they have been bullied, don't report it becuase you see, once again, what happens when you do. Even the sports editor for the local paper tells a story in his sports column indirectly attacking those girls and parents who felt they had been abused.