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Parent urges Palos CCSD 118 board to increase bullying accountability
Summary
A parent told the board that the district must enforce anti-bullying policies and notify parents of investigations, citing a recent child suicide elsewhere as an example.
At the public-comment portion of the Palos CCSD 118 board meeting, a parent urged the board to strengthen accountability and transparency around bullying and student safety.
"Bullying should be a 0 tolerance," said Lauren DeAngelis, who identified herself as a parent of two district students and said she is advocating for accountability after reporting alleged bullying affecting her son and others. DeAngelis told the board she remains concerned about how the district responds to bullying reports and encouraged parents to file written complaints and copy both the superintendent's office and the school board so there is a record.
DeAngelis referenced a recent out-of-state case, saying that a 10-year-old in Virginia died by suicide on March 21 and that the child's parents have sued the school district there; she offered that example as a warning and urged local parents and officials not to "brush instances under the rug." She said that when a bullying report is filed, "an investigation is supposed to take place, and the parents are supposed to be notified of what is being done to rectify the situation within 10 days." DeAngelis said she would continue to press the district for what she called transparency and accountability.
Board procedure noted during the meeting: the board does not engage in discussion during public comment and referred specific questions to the superintendent; the meeting transcript records a statement that responses to public comments will be provided in writing and posted on the district website within 24 hours.
Why it matters: Public comments about student safety and bullying raise questions about how the district documents complaints, investigates incidents and communicates with parents. The concerns raised are procedural (investigation and notification timelines) and are framed by the speaker as requests for enforcement and transparency rather than a demand for specific policy changes.
Ending: The speaker asked other parents to document complaints in writing; the board did not respond during the public-comment period, consistent with its stated public-comment procedure recorded in the meeting.
