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Parent alleges weeks-long cyberbullying, urges district action
Summary
At Plainfield SD 202's board meeting a parent described repeated cyberbullying of his child, said the conduct met district and state standards for cyberstalking and hate crime, and urged placement and other disciplinary measures; the board did not take formal action during the meeting.
Mark Burke, a Plainfield parent, used the public-comment period at the Plainfield SD 202 Board of Education meeting to describe what he said was weeks-long, coordinated cyberbullying of his child and to urge the board and administration to take stronger disciplinary action.
Burke told the board two students moved among district middle schools and, he said, produced and publicly posted videos and images that impersonated and mocked his child using racial slurs and sexually explicit language. "This was indeed a crime," Burke said, asserting the conduct met the district's cyberbullying standard and Illinois criminal law on cyberstalking and hate crimes.
In his comments Burke said the material began as at least 37 still images created on a school computer, which he said were then used to generate about 50 videos posted to public social platforms. He said classmates engaged with those posts and that the students continued the conduct after school staff notified parents, calling the activity "an avalanche of offenses." He asked the board to consider placement of the students into a program for those offenders to prevent further harm.
Board policy limits the public-comment period to two minutes per speaker and the board did not engage in debate with Burke during the meeting. The transcript shows no formal motion, referral or disciplinary action taken by the board during the meeting in response to his remarks, and no district staff described next steps in open session.
The board meeting agenda and related materials referenced the district handbook as governing student conduct and discipline; Burke specifically named the district handbook and Illinois criminal statutes in describing the alleged misconduct. The board's posted minutes and any subsequent staff reports would be the authoritative record of formal actions or disciplinary follow-up.
