We would like to inform the public about the recent behavior of one of the Village Trustees at the December 20th District 21 Board Meeting, as many residents who do not follow the school board meetings are not aware of this.
After being announced as a Village Trustee, most individuals in the room thought he was speaking on behalf of the Village. Trustee Terson began discussing his views on the expectations that children are provided an environment with safe playground equipment, adult supervision in and outside and without bullying. These are all good topics, and not where our concern is.
Our concern is that he then began to make statements that he does not hold the district accountable for what recently happened in Connecticut. He then encouraged parents and the board to not let fear guide their decisions, insinuating that the school board was about to make irrational decisions on the safety of our children based on the recent tragedy. The culmination of his behavior was in a statement where he said something along the lines that our children have a better chance of being harmed at home by their parents, than at school. He said this with children and parents present.
His behavior is not what we expect of our elected officials. It is unacceptable, for Trustee Terson to make these statements at a school board meeting attempting to influence the decisions that could affect our Children’s safety. He was speaking after it being announced that he was a Trustee, speaking on the Village’s behalf. Using an elected office to push personal agendas is the exact same reason why we as a Village recalled Lisa Stone, and we are sure what Trustee Terson did is against the rules.
In the meeting Trustee Terson had the ability to correct the fact that he was announced as a Trustee, and chose not to. Therefore, it is our belief that he was attempting to use his position as a Trustee to influence the decisions of the D21 Board.
Concerned Parents of District 21
So, "Concerned Parents of District 21," we know who HE is. How about you tell us who YOU are.
I went to the District 21 School Board meeting as a parent of a child in the District. I asked to NOT be introduced and recognized as a trustee. Their Board chose to do so anyway, but did so significantly prior to me making my comments, not when I was called to speak. I believe I did identify myself as a parent of a child in the district when I spoke. The letter writer states, “Our concern is that he then began to make statements that he does not hold the district accountable for what recently happened in Connecticut.” That is not true. I never made any such statements. What I did say is, “God forbid something to the tragic magnitude as what took place in Connecticut were to happen in our community, I do not have an expectation of you (in regards to safety).”
That is not true. I never insinuated anything of the sort. What I said was, “I am not going to tell you how you should spend money on building safety. That is your job to figure out and I trust your judgment. What I will do is share some research I did and offer my perspective on a couple of things.” I later added, “…there is a lot of fear and anger after last Friday. I would encourage you to not let fear and anger guide you in your decision making. There are technological needs, and air conditioning is something that people talk about being a need. In my opinion, you will have a bigger impact on safety if you change procedures and behavior, than you will if you spend millions of dollars to unsuccessfully attempt to turn the school buildings into a fortress.” Next, the letter writer states, “The culmination of his behavior was in a statement where he said something along the lines that our children have a better chance of being harmed at home by their parents, than at school.” That is not true. What I said was, “We are a lot more likely as parents to kill or seriously injure one of our own kids while talking on our cell phones as we pull into the school parking lot.”
My intent was to provide the School Board with balance from what I felt was public pressure to make drastic and expensive changes in what I perceived as a kneejerk reaction to what happened in Connecticut. My son is a student in the District, and I was only speaking as a parent. I have attached a PDF of my comments to provide the full context of what I said. I would like to disclose that the statistical information is not accurate (it’s close, but not completely accurate). I compiled it very hastily before the meeting and my tabulations were a little off; however, the crux of my point is unaffected by that.
I even value your opinion, but you should not be hiding behind a fictitious group name.
Oh and BTW I agree with the danger of the parking lot at Longfellow being dangerous due to cell phones being used illegally and hurried , rude people navigating through the lot to rush on to what ever is next. I don't go in there any more, its crazy. Mike keepup the good work your efforts are appreciated, even the ones I may not agree with.