LTHS Chastised By Another District's Board Member

LA GRANGE, IL — A board member from another high school district accused Lyons Township High School of allowing "certain" advocacy groups on campus and denying others. He provided no specifics.

At a meeting last week, Rob Cruz, a board member for Oak Lawn High School District 229, told the board that he was asked by Lyons Township High School students and parents to speak to the board. He said he knew how hard the job of a board member is, calling it a "thankless job."

But he said he shared the concerns of residents about the high school, particularly its policy on allowing advocacy groups on campus.

"I think education is built so that two opposing sides can debate healthy in society," Cruz said. "Right now, our society is broken, and we need to teach our kids how to mend it. Allowing advocacy groups and not others, I believe, is a disservice to our children ... We're here to learn, not to coerce."

He also urged against following sex education standards that come out of Washington, D.C. He referred to resident Laura Tussing, who, earlier in the meeting, read steamy passages from two books she said were in the high school's library.

Cruz urged the school to get "rid of the books that this woman was reading that almost made me throw up in my mask."

On another topic, he touted his federal lawsuit against Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state schools Superintendent Carmen Ayala over concerns about the state's face mask mandate. Cruz's fellow board members have distanced themselves from his litigation.

"I do know what government overreach looks like, which is why I sued the governor over his government overreach because this board should be able to decide what happens at school, not a guy sitting in Springfield," Cruz said.

The Lyons Township High School board did not respond to Cruz's comments. The audience applauded.