West Chicago residents press school board after allegations a Gary School teacher praised ICE

West Chicago officials and community members held a public listening session to respond to months of Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity that residents said has traumatized families and to discuss allegations that a Gary School teacher expressed support for ICE.

Mayor (identified in the transcript as the meeting host) opened the session and said local leaders are "in contact" with the school and superintendent but must allow the district process to run, while emphasizing the meeting’s purpose was to hear from residents and center students’ wellbeing. A state senator who spoke at the event told attendees that "words matter and words have consequences," urging measured community action.

State Representative Nora Hershauer, speaking for the district’s delegation, said the session was the first of several conversations and pledged to listen and take action. Deb Taylor, president of ETAQ (the Elementary Teachers Association of West Chicago), read a union statement that organizers described as distinct from any district message and said, "We want to reassure you that our schools are a safe place for your children."

Parents and other residents repeatedly pressed officials for clearer district communication about the incident and asked whether the teacher had been placed on leave while any investigation proceeds. Organizers said the district had communicated via ParentSquare and by email to parents in some cases, but several attendees reported conflicting or incomplete messages; one attendee said an initial resignation notice was later rescinded.

Students spoke at length about how the allegations have affected their sense of safety. "I don't want someone who feels that way in my school because I want all my best to feel and be safe," said Parker Thomas, a third-grader at Gary School. Other students expressed fear, sadness and a desire to act; several adults urged that children’s wellbeing be the central concern in any community response.

Several speakers warned that publicizing the case too widely could endanger immigrant neighbors. Parents urged a range of responses—including anonymous ways to submit concerns to the school board—while immigrant-rights groups and service providers, including representatives who spoke for World Relief, offered to partner with the district to protect vulnerable families and students.

Organizers described concrete follow-ups: a Change.org petition circulating to gather signatures; a unified school-board email address that sends messages to all members (organizers gave instructions to find it via wego33.org and said the district’s school-board email could be used to request an emergency meeting); and an invitation to attend the board’s next regular meeting on Feb. 5. The Winfield Township mental-health board said it is collecting community input through an online survey to help direct local mental-health resources.

Officials framed the meeting as a mixture of community testimony and practical next steps—collecting input, amplifying a petition, encouraging emails to the board and coordinating attendance at the Feb. 5 school-board meeting—while repeatedly stressing that disciplinary and personnel matters within the district must follow established due-process rules.

The session closed with organizers promising to post links and next steps on social media and to follow up on action items including a petition, board emails and local support efforts; the mayor said he would remain after the formal portion to hear from anyone who still wanted to speak.