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Parents and advocates accuse Morton Academy of staffing shortfalls and overreliance on iPads
Summary
During public comment, speakers alleged high turnover of licensed staff at Morton Academy, reported students spending large portions of the day on iPads and urged the board to investigate; no immediate administrative rebuttal is recorded in the transcript.
Multiple public commenters used the board's public-comment period to raise detailed allegations about Morton Academy, the district program serving students with specialized needs. Commenters said long-standing staff departures had not been publicly explained, that some current classroom staffing lacked licensed teachers, and that students were spending substantial portions of the school day on iPads rather than receiving direct instruction.
A community member (read by Mr. Edward) said, "If accurate, this warrants immediate attention," and urged the board to ensure compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and to provide transparency about instructional programming and technology usage. The commenter asked families to request and review their children's instructional-programming and iPad-usage data.
Another commenter, Gretchen Hohulan, described personal experiences attending meetings and singled out district staff member Kate Wyman for praise for outreach to parents. A third commenter said the district is under "active investigation, multiple investigations by the Illinois Department of Human Rights," and repeated assertions that Morton Academy lacked licensed teachers at the time cited by the speaker.
The board did not provide an on-the-record, immediate rebuttal during the public-comment period captured in the transcript; administration did not present specific iPad-usage logs or staffing rosters in the public segment. The commenters framed their statements as requests for oversight and for the board to follow up.
Because these are allegations made during public comment, they remain unverified in the meeting record. The board and district administration may have additional information, personnel records, or ongoing investigations that were not presented during the meeting; reporters and officials should seek district staffing rosters, iPad-usage reports, special-education assignment records and any correspondence with state agencies to verify the claims.
Next steps noted in the meeting: the board entered closed session after public comment to consider personnel and property matters; the transcript does not show a public response to the specific allegations during the open meeting portion captured here.
