Stevenson speakers tell board harassment at World's Fair left students unsafe; district apologizes and promises review

At a meeting of the Adlai E. Stevenson High School District 125 Board of Education, parents, students and civil‑rights groups urged the district to take stronger action after an incident at the district’s World's Fair that speakers said led to harassment, doxxing and threats against Palestinian and Muslim students.

Speakers representing community groups and families described adults approaching and intimidating students at the fair, online campaigns that circulated photos and claims about students, and continued bullying afterward at school. "We just wanna say that we're appalled by the bullying and the gaslighting campaign that's been undertaken by hateful adults against Palestinian American students that attend Stevenson and Muslim students that attend Stevenson simply for daring to express their truth," said Maggie Slavin, school support coordinator for CARE, the Council on American‑Islamic Relations Chicago.

The public comment period included parents, students and representatives from Jewish and Muslim organizations who gave differing accounts of how the…