Residents urge Sycamore board to act after teacher's racially charged remarks; board says investigation completed

Residents at the Sycamore Community Schools Board meeting pressed trustees Monday evening over a teacher's conduct and the board's handling of the matter, while the district read a prepared statement saying it had investigated and imposed discipline.

Brad Comerford, addressing the board during public comment, said he was "dismayed, disheartened, and disgusted" after reading a newspaper article and listed alleged conduct: "walking into your place of work drunk, exposed yourself, bullied a female coworker via a text message, and made a racially charged comment." Comerford said the board's reported disciplinary outcome—which he cited as "15 days and expunging from the record"—gave him pause and raised questions about whether board members who had connections to an organized political action committee recused themselves in executive session decisions. "Are our school board members impartial in regards to Mrs. Grace?" he asked.

Emmanuel Black said he and his family chose the district for its diversity and urged the board to "reconsider and look at the content of the character of this teacher," saying he would "be calling everything that she's done in the school district into question." Courtney Black told the board that videos circulated among fifth graders included students "saying the n word," and said parents had raised concerns to school administrators.

Ronnie Hill, speaking about systemic racism in the district, warned that reinstating the teacher risked targeting students of color: "That person can now target a kid that doesn't look like them they don't like." Kimberly Reese Mensa said she was "flabbergasted" to learn of the incident in the newspaper and urged greater transparency, adding, "She needs to go."

At the start of public comment the presiding officer read a board statement acknowledging the community's concerns, saying the District had "conducted a thorough investigation and took disciplinary action" and reaffirming a prohibition on discrimination "based on race, color, or any other legally protected classification." The statement also noted board policy that the district does not hear complaints about employees during public comment and described avenues for feedback through email and the district website.

The speakers repeatedly asked whether board members had recused themselves from executive-session decisions involving the employee and whether political connections influenced outcomes. The board did not announce new personnel action during the public-comment period; the presiding officer reiterated that the opening statement was the district's only comment at that time.

The board took no further public action on personnel during the meeting; several trustees proceeded with business items including policy votes, calendar approval and contract authorizations before adjourning.