2 Incumbents, 1 Newcomer Elected to D155 School Board

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL -- Voters were tasked Tuesday with picking three candidates to serve four-year terms on the Community High School District 155 school board. With all precincts reporting late Tuesday night, it appears two incumbents, Amy Blazier and Adam Gus, as well as newcomer Tom Vaclavek have been elected to a four-year term on the local school board. Blazier lead the race with 24.45 percent of the vote total and Vaclavek followed with 19.42 percent.

Gus brought in 16.89 percent of the vote total.

The unofficial results for the District 155 school board race, as well as other local races of interest, can be found below.

Leading up to the election, candidates sparred over various disciplinary cases, including the highly publicized handling of Matthew Fralick’s firing. Fralick was ousted in recent weeks, months after school officials learned authorities were investigating the Crystal Lake Central High School teacher. He was placed on administrative leave for two weeks in August but was allowed to return to the classroom after the human resources department determined they could not substantiate any allegations against Fralick, according to the Northwest Herald.

Fralick, 48, was arrested in February and is accused of grooming a girl online for sex.

Blazer and Guss both said they believed the situation was handled appropriately, the Northwest Herald reports. But Justen believes the case should have been handled differently.

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“Based on what is known publicly about the accusations against Mr. Fralick, it is not acceptable that after a leave in August he was allowed back in the classroom with students until being placed on leave again prior to his arrest. It appears, based on reporting, that the district was at least aware of the accusations involving the ‘grooming’ of a minor. Whether or not the minor in this case was a student in the district, Mr. Fralick should not have been able to return to work with students in the fall,” Justen told the newspaper.

Other District 155 teachers who’ve faced criminal charges include Justin Hubly, a former Crystal Lake Central teacher, who received supervision for giving alcohol to minors and for touching teens. And Rick Lima, 51, a former Prairie Ridge High School teacher and coach, who has been ordered to pay restitution and ordered to court supervision, for stealing more than $50,000 from an elderly woman.

The topic of bullying and enhancing the student’s experience to decrease anxiety for high schoolers also came up at a candidate forum in February. The topic of allowing therapy dogs at schools received an overall warm reception among candidates. Guss said trained dogs have already been on hand after “dramatic events,” according to the Northwest Herald.

“The response from the kids is tremendous,” he said.

District 155 includes four high schools: Crystal Lake Central, Crystal Lake South, Cary-Grave and Prairie Ridge high schools. In total, 6,613 students from Bull Valley, Burton's Bridge, Cary, Crystal Lake, Fox River Grove, Lake in the Hills, Lakewood, Oakwood Hills, Prairie Grove and Ridgefield attend District 155.

Unofficial results for other local, contested races of interest can be found below.