West Cook News

Lyons Township High School District 204 School Board President Kari Dillon ended a public meeting Monday night, after facing criticism by parents and residents for her support of keeping the school's 3,600 students in masks.

Dillon, 48, of Indian Head Park, made a waiting crowd sit through 2.5 hours of board discussion of new grading scales and capital projects before promising 60 minutes of public comment, which she abruptly ended after 30 minutes.

"Per board policy, we cap our topic sessions to about 30 minutes. We’re at that 30 minutes discussing the mitigation measures," she said.

After members of the crowd protested, asking Dillon to let a mother speak, she reprimanded them.

"Do not interrupt (me)! That is not helpful," Dillon said. "You do not need to talk that way."

Dillon said she would allow more public comment, but only on topics other than masks. 

She called the board into recess and members walked off the stage to members of the crowd calling them "cowards."

"We'll be back every time. We'll be back every day," one resident said.

The first three speakers allowed by Dillon didn't comment on masks, but rather accused the school of "racism" and demanded more "diversity, equity and inclusion" programs, taking up one-third of the public comment period.

Sanita Lewis of La Grange Park said "racial slurs" were a problem not just at the high school, but among adults in the community. 

Student Heavyn Washington of La Grange said "racism is the real epidemic" at Lyons Township High School and "it's taken such a big toll" on her. 

"What are we doing to end the racism?" she asked. "It's been going on since my great grandmother went to LT. It sucks that we have to have a racist outbreak to actually speak upon the situation."

Neither Lewis nor Washington offered any specific examples of slurs or what constituted an "outbreak." Though Washington said her great-grandmother said her bus was overturned when she went to LT's prom.

This wasn't the first time Dillon chafed at public comments critical of her or the board.

In December, after a resident called board members "bobbleheads" for keeping mask mandates, Dillon called police to have him removed from the meeting.

"I’m going to stop you, you’re making some disparaging comments,” Dillon said, later calling him "belligerent" and complaining that he shouldn't be complaining about position the board has "clearly stated... on our web site."

Dillon, a Democrat, was first elected to the District 204 School Board in 2019. She was elevated to board president in 2021.

According to Federal Election Commission records, Dillon donated $150 to the campaign of U.S. Rep. Marie Newman (D-3rd) in 2020.