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Aurora East USD 131 leaders and community report progress after meeting with Board member Reyes
Summary
Community leaders and Board member Reyes met after recent controversial public comments; officials say an apology was offered and the district is moving to concrete culture-and-climate actions, including earlier anti-racism training, a core competency team and DCFS reporter training.
Board President Cifuentes and community leaders met with Board member Reyes following public concern about comments attributed to Reyes; community leader Dr. Vincent Guedes told the Board on Oct. 20 that the meeting produced an apology and a plan for follow-up work. "At that meeting, a really important thing happened ... We listened to each other," Guedes said during public comment, describing "cautious optimism" about next steps.
Superintendent Dr. Halvorsen told the board the district has formed a culture-and-climate core competency team made up of stakeholders across departments to strengthen cultural sensitivity and inclusivity. The superintendent said the team has met three times, conducted stakeholder outreach and will continue work through the school year to produce actionable steps.
Halvorsen said the district will accelerate a state-mandated anti-racism training from the Global Compliance Network and implement it sooner than the Illinois State Board of Education deadline of June 30, 2026. He also said the district is providing increased DCFS reporter training and plans to engage high-school student groups (Culturally Aware Teens) to gather student input.
The superintendent acknowledged community leaders and union partners for their involvement and described the effort as an ongoing school-improvement process. "We want to make sure that each and every one of our students and staff members feel safe," Halvorsen said.
Board members and community speakers emphasized verification and follow-up. Guedes and other leaders said they would meet again with the board to set priorities and monitor progress; Guedes summarized the approach as "trust but verify." The board did not take formal action on personnel matters at the Oct. 20 meeting aside from items handled in executive session and related approvals described elsewhere in this report.
The superintendent described initial elements of the district's plan: a stakeholder-driven core team, targeted professional development on relationship building and restorative practices, administrative training series, state-required anti-racism modules, and student engagement through high-school groups. District officials said the work will be ongoing and coupled to broader school-improvement efforts.
