Parents press Homewood SD 153 on bullying, alleged racist remarks, special-education compliance and late buses

Parents and community members used the audience-participation portion of the Homewood School District 153 board meeting to press district leaders about student safety and operational problems, including bullying and alleged racist remarks at James Hart and Willow, special-education compliance and Individualized Education Program (IEP) errors at Churchill and Willow, and repeated late or inconsistent school-bus service.

Jamila Doyle Walters, a parent, described an incident on Feb. 21, 2025 in which her daughter was called a racial slur and "stated, she looked like a monkey like Barack Obama. He also wished that segregation and slavery returned." She told the board she believed the student who made the comment was not safe for the school environment and asked whether the district is following SB100 and documenting disciplinary actions with the Illinois State Board of Education. "I will not tolerate this, and this will not be tolerated in this community," she said.

Gail Adams Rodriguez, another parent, described repeated bullying involving her daughter at James Hart and said school staff told her to try to resolve the matter outside school. Rodriguez said her daughter later received an in-school suspension for an alleged verbal altercation and that she asked to see the video of the incident but had not received it. "My daughter got suspended for a verbal altercation. I asked if I could see that video to see if it was physical. I never got it," Rodriguez said.

Sherry Foster, who said she represents parents of a special-education student, raised broader special-education concerns and said the Illinois State Board of Education had placed Churchill and Willow on a watch list. She described missing or incomplete IEPs, missing required staff signatures on IEP meetings, and functional behavioral assessments or behavior intervention plans that she said were inadequate. "Who is in charge of my child making sure her IEP is in compliance?" Foster asked the board.

On transportation, several parents described repeated late buses and poor communication from the contracted bus vendor. Randall Walters said his son's bus arrived well after his scheduled pickup and that the district's automated calls arrived after the students' scheduled pickup time: "They sent us a robocall at 09:15 saying, oh, that bus is gonna be 10 minutes late when my son is supposed to get picked up at 07:55." Other parents and community members said substitute drivers have sometimes behaved in ways that raised concerns, especially on special-education routes.

Superintendent Dr. McAllister and board members acknowledged the concerns and said they would follow up. Dr. McAllister told at least one parent that he would follow up with principals and the district's transportation office; board members said the transportation vendor market is tight and that the district receives few bids for bus contracts.

The board did not take formal action during the meeting on any of the individual complaints; members said staff would follow up with families and principals and review documentation. Several parents asked the board to provide written responses and to share the district's disciplinary records and IEP compliance procedures.

Ending: Board leaders said they would investigate the incidents raised, ask principals and transportation staff for specific follow-up, and provide parents with a response; parents requested documentation and promised to continue tracking incidents and reports to ISBE if they believe the district is not complying with disciplinary reporting requirements.