Embattled D229 Board Member Report Shut Down During Meeting

Oak Lawn IL

22 December, 2021

1:47 AM

Description

OAK LAWN, IL — The Oak Lawn Community High School Dist. 229 board meeting got heated when a board member who is running for Congress backed off delivering his board report on teen mental health when he was interrupted by a community member. Rob Cruz, who has served on the Dist. 229 school board since April, is running in next year's GOP primary for the 6th Congressional District. Prior to last week's school board meeting, Cruz sent out a campaign news release stating that he planned to discuss the state's COVID-19 protocols for schools and the outbreak of bad student behavior before the Dec. 15 meeting. It was also announced that Cruz's second lawsuit against Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Dist. 229 board challenging the indoor use of face masks in school buildings, had been dismissed the day before for failing to prove the state's mandate was "egregious" or "outrageous." "Let's hope this is behind us," D229 Board President Rob Loehr told Cruz. Cruz has been accused by some fellow board members and Oak Lawn residents for using his elected school board position to further his political aspirations. He had hoped his advance notice would attract more parents to the school board meeting, but only three residents signed up to make public comments. Alexandra Phillips deferred to the Americans With Disabilities Act and requested to be the last speaker. Dan Janik complimented the board overall for its handling of the pandemic, but said he was troubled as a taxpayer that lawyers are being paid to handle matters that should be resolved in the boardroom. "There is no room in the Oak Lawn Community High School board of directors for political aspirations," Janik said. "Nobody in this room should be bringing their personal agendas or using the backs of our children in this building to leap frog their political aspirations." Oak Lawn dentist Kenneth Yerkes said when it came to dissent, "it was pretty much one-party rule," and that spirited debates were needed "to get to truths" and not silence anybody. The truth is, I'm being discriminated against. All people with natural immunity to COVID are being discriminated against. We have to take tests to determine if we have COVID," Yerkes said. "I've actually had COVID twice. I have 24.6 antibodies." Yerkes went on to advise anyone who had COVID-19 to get their antibodies tested before getting vaccinated. "I'm not an anti-vaxxer. I asked my doctor what were the benefits and risks of getting the vaccine with 24.6 antibodies," Yerkes said. "He said there was zero benefit." Oak Lawn resident Alexandra Phillips explained that she was a mental health professional. "The fact is, we've seen a spike in bad behavior from lots of people," Phillips said, "not just students, from parents and board members, and from politicians and legislators. To correlate mask wearing with bad behavior is disinformation." "If you don't want to be on the board and be a congressperson, please leave," Phillips told Cruz. "I would volunteer right now to take your seat. We can't have this anymore. You are tearing us apart." When the meeting moved on to board reports, Cruz explained how he's gone around to different places talking to parents. "I'm not using studies, I'm using real life conversations," Cruz said. Phillips called for a point of order. "If she's going to continue, I would ask her to leave," Cruz told board members. "If she's interrupting me, you have to ask her to leave." A few moments later, Phillips accused Cruz of violating the Hatch Act. "He has every right to make his comments," Loehr told the woman. Later, Loehr and Cruz clashed over Phillips being allowed to stay despite her continued interruptions of Cruz's board report. "Listen," Loehr said. "If you're done, you're done. I've asked her to be quiet or leave." "You still haven't asked her to leave. She's supposed to be escorted out," Cruz said. "Either we're going to act or not. I'm done." After the board meeting, Cruz said he was unaware that his lawsuit had been dismissed until he read about it in Patch. He and he his attorneys haven't decided if they're going to appeal the judge's ruling. Cruz also believed that had an audience member the board didn't like interrupted a meeting, such as his co-plaintiff on the lawsuit, the person would have been asked to leave. "I was trying to point out to [Rob Loehr] that he lost control of the environment," Cruz said. "I got a tongue lashing, 'we operate as a unit.' I knew going into it that it was everyone against me."