Speakers during public comment urged the District 207 Board of Education to approve an intra‑district transfer for a student who says she experienced repeated racial harassment at Maine South High School.
Carol Hill, senior minister at Park Ridge Community Church and a parent, told the board the district’s equity statement should include mechanisms for exceptions when a student is not being served safely at the school to which they are zoned.
“I believe that Jocelyn deserves and should have a quality, robust high school experience in a school where she can feel safe,” Hill said during public comment.
The student at the center of the request, Jocelyn Winn, spoke to the board. “I’ve been called a monkey in the hallway,” she said. “I’ve heard the n‑word from a boy in my class and hallways. I’ve been excluded from PE activities in my freshman year. I’m expressing my feelings of being unsafe and unwanted at Maine South.”
Jocelyn’s mother, Felicia Winn, said the family moved to the area seeking a better life and described the impact the incidents have had on her daughter’s mental health. “We feel that moving to a school that is less than five minutes away with diverse children will be a positive for Jocelyn,” she told the board.
Valerie Halston, who read a letter on behalf of Action Ridge (a local social-justice organization), said the group supports the family’s request and urged the board to allow an intra‑district transfer so the child can attend “a more equitable and inclusive learning environment.” The letter, as presented to the board, was signed by Action Ridge leadership.
Board procedure and outcome: The testimony occurred during the public-comment portion of the meeting. The speakers asked the board to consider the transfer request; there was no immediate motion or vote on the transfer during the meeting. Staff or administrators may follow up with the family, as the board’s public-comment rules state that the board will listen but not respond during the public-comment period.
Discussion vs. decision: The statements were made as public comment and were not board action. Board members acknowledged the comments and continued with the agenda; no decision on the transfer was recorded at the meeting.
Context and clarifications: Speakers said the family’s transfer request had been denied by school staff and that the school suggested a safety plan instead; the family told the board they view the safety plan as insufficient. The family and Action Ridge urged the board to treat race and harassment as possible grounds for intra‑district transfer exceptions. District policy and the board’s procedures govern transfer approvals; the board did not cite a specific statute or policy during the public-comment exchange.
Next steps: The board did not vote on the transfer during the meeting. Parents and community groups asked the board to follow up; any formal consideration of a transfer would follow district procedures for intra‑district transfers and be documented in subsequent staff reports or agenda items.