Conservatives Not Heard During Elmhurst D-205 Meeting

ELMHURST, IL — More than a dozen residents spoke in defense of York High School social studies teachers at Tuesday's Elmhurst school board meeting.

Others who signed up to speak had planned to criticize the teachers for having a liberal bias in their lessons, said one of them, resident Tom Chavez. But they weren't called. And they weren't happy about that.

Chavez, who has alleged Marxist indoctrination at York, said he signed up about 5:45 p.m., more than an hour before the start of the meeting. But a bunch of people had already signed up, apparently those who were there to defend the teachers. Like Chavez, other conservatives also signed up later.

Under board policies, the board allocates up to 30 minutes for public comments, with each speaker getting up to three minutes.

Before the second to last speaker began, board member Courtenae Trautmann announced there was time forone more speaker.

As the speaker, Marsha Baker, started, Chavez and his allies started to leave the room. Some interrupted her. A woman could be heard saying that the board should be hearing other people's viewpoints.

Baker was momentarily derailed. Then she looked at one of the hecklers and said, "You're not wearing a mask, so you have no right to speak."

In an interview Wednesday, Chavez said it appeared an organized group signed up early to keep his side from speaking. He said this was an example of those preaching tolerance showing intolerance toward other views.

He said he had no problem with teachers discussing controversial issues, but they should provide both sides to students.

Before the meeting, he said he asked a board member to request board President Kara Caforio extend the public comment period, so both sides could express their views. But he said that did not happen. He called the 30-minute limit "arbitrary."

In an email to Patch, Chavez said many of the speakers were talking about what happened in the school district 15 or 25 years ago.

"Things are much different today than they were then," he said. "Last night's performance was clearly orchestrated to prevent other opinions from being heard."

He added, "Yes, Critical Race Theory is coming in our direction, no matter how they spin it."