Sharp Words For Elmhurst D-205 Board

ELMHURST, IL — More than a half dozen parents had sharp words for the Elmhurst school board at its meeting Thursday.

One mother started crying. Others took shots at the teachers union. And they noted local private schools and districts across the country are offering far more in-person learning. One parent, meanwhile, lamented "keyboard warrior parents."

Parent Adrianna Cook told the Elmhurst School District 205 board that she knew some of its members and that she did not want them to see her comments as personal attacks.

But she said the district has kept parents out of the loop about its plans for in-person learning. They are left to wait for the next email "telling us more of the same" from Superintendent Dave Moyer, who is leaving at the end of the school year to head a New York district.

Cook said she believed in her heart the school board wanted what was best for the children.

At the same time, she said, the district's continuation of remote learning "isn't about the students. This is about the union members and their refusal to show up. And for the life of me, I can't figure out why you won't stand up to them and be an advocate for the students."

She said she would not talk about her own children's experience with remote learning, "because I might break down in tears."

Becca Harpster, another parent, did break down in tears at the meeting. She questioned why the school district insisted on 6 feet of social distancing when she said evidence indicates 3 feet was fine when everyone is wearing masks.

The district, she said, should follow the lead of local private schools and other districts that provide more in-person learning. She took particular aim at the district's handling of Bryan and Sandburg middle schools, where even less in-person instruction is taking place, with officials citing capacity issues.

Harpster ended her comments in tears, struggling to speak.

"Start saying 'we can' because we can. The data and science repeatedly show that it can be done safely without 6 feet. Embrace the change and get our middle schoolers an in-person education that they deserve," Cook said.

Another parent, Jen Rice, called the district's "lack of transparency abhorrent" and contended the district has shown a "lack of common sense." She also said the school board has demonstrated no urgency to get students in class five days a week.

"How are they supposed to move to the next grade level, let alone thrive?" Rice said. "Grades may be on pace with pre-COVID times, but standardized tests will show just how much our kids are falling behind and not getting their basic educational needs met. Your remote hybrid model is failing."

Parent Hilary Simonds asked everyone in the school community to take a pause.

"Many have worked tirelessly to open our schools, and progress has been made," she said. "Please stop writing and saying things you wouldn't say in a face-to-face conversation. It's not helpful when keyboard warrior parents throw stones at the board and administration."

At the same time, Simonds said it was unhelpful when district officials say parents were taking advantage of remote learning by having students log in from vacation spots. "Are they judging parents who are desperately trying to keep their families whole?" she said.

Simonds also said the district was failing to collaborate with parents in making its decisions on in-person learning.

"We are hanging on to the every word of Dr. Moyer and the cabinet, while they sit in their ivory tower and make decisions in a vacuum," Simonds said.

As is its practice, the school board did not respond to the parents' comments.

The superintendent has said he plans to announce the plan for in-person learning at the board's Feb. 9 meeting. He was not at Thursday's meeting, which was focused on the search for a new superintendent.

The teachers union did not return a message through its Facebook page.