Multiple community members used the public-comment period to press the Rockford Public Schools Board of Education on literacy instruction, behavioral supports, police presence in schools, nutrition and parental access to classrooms.
Hannah Underhill urged the board to return to phonics-based instruction, saying systematic phonics aligns with federal emphasis and claiming the method once produced higher test scores at Lewis Elementary. Underhill also urged expanded applied behavior analysis (ABA) services for students on the autism spectrum and said students need access to food-skills instruction so they “go home with food and skills to prepare the food.”
Angel Brown criticized district spending priorities and raised safety and access concerns. Brown said, “Let’s talk about how 50 k was blown on going to Great America in a sports factory, and these scholars can’t read or write.” She also said parents do not receive adequate resources and called for better supports for hospitalized students to receive homework and placement.
Nina Gianangeli, representing the goal 3 subcommittee of the Eliminate Racism 815 education committee, presented research recommending practices that increase literacy—early, systematic phonics in kindergarten and first grade; use of programs such as Reading Horizons, CKLA and UFLY; and school schedules that preserve instructional minutes. Gianangeli asked the board, “How will you actively support administrators in implementing these research back strategies and foster conditions that enable all students, especially students of color and marginalized groups to achieve grade level literacy?”
Community member John Tack Brantley traced local civil-rights-era protests calling for Black history instruction and more Black teachers, and raised concerns about immigration enforcement affecting families’ willingness to engage with schools. Brantley also described recent community field trips and urged the board to prepare for future family-impact events.
Several commenters raised a common concern about the Rockford Police Department’s role in schools. Hannah Underhill said the district’s reliance on police rather than certified minor behavior professionals contributed to unsafe conditions and referenced a student injury: “Paris Moore, a 14 year old freshman, had their skulls skull fractured while attending RPS.” Underhill urged the board to “Replace RPD with certified minor behavior professionals now.”
The board took no action during public comment; the board president reminded speakers that staff would follow up when appropriate.