I was appointed to the District 200 high school board in July 2023 and currently serve as vice president. My passion for the transformative power of education, especially in the lives of students from poor and marginalized backgrounds, led me to serve. I am also a candidate, and you can learn more about me, my priorities, and my community and professional experience at audreyford200.com.
A top priority is ensuring we have a safe and inclusive school climate and culture at OPRF High School. My approach to safety encompasses campus, physical, and psychological safety, as these elements are interdependent and need to be addressed holistically.
To maximize student learning, our high school must have a culture that fosters belonging. Achieving this requires a multifaceted approach that engages students, faculty, families, and community members in continually identifying opportunities to strengthen the policies, processes, and practices contributing to an inclusive culture.
Also required is a strong commitment to equity, rooted in high standards and academic rigor. We must recognize and address the very diverse needs and past educational experiences of our students. The Honors for All Curriculum (detracking) and Restorative Practices help address these needs.
There is clear evidence-based research (1) on the harmful effects of tracking on students of color, and our Black and Brown students were overrepresented in the College Prep track prior to the revised curriculum. While still in the early days of the change, we are seeing both encouraging results and challenges to solve as high expectations are set for all students.
Restorative practices foster an environment of open dialogue and accountability, leading to improved relationships and contributing to a more positive school climate. Schools implementing these practices report marked decreases in exclusionary discipline measures such as suspensions and expulsions (2), and we have seen this at OPRF.
Our Black students receive out-of-school suspensions at a much higher rate than other demographics. Restorative practices have helped reduce this disparity by over 50% between school year ’23 and SY ’24 (3), while still applying appropriate consequences per the Student Behavior policy. Our goal, to the greatest extent possible, is keeping kids in school. This continuity supports academic achievement, and reduces the long‐term negative impacts associated with frequent disciplinary removal. (2)
The two candidates in this race who oppose Honors for All and have been dismissive of restorative practices now purport to care about the academic performance of our Black and Brown students. As the mother of two Black sons and a volunteer in districts 97 and 200 in some capacity since 2006, I have not seen any evidence of either candidate’s involvement in the many conversations and efforts focused on driving equity and closing the achievement gap. I find their concern to be disingenuous and inauthentic. Perhaps they are sincere but given their efforts to try to remove me from the ballot on a technicality to guarantee themselves seats on the board, I will follow the sage advice of Maya Angelou: “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
(1) Francise, Dania V. and Darity, Jr., William A. (2021). Separate and Unequal Under One Roof: How the Legacy of Racialized Tracking Perpetuates Within-School Segregation. The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences February 7, 187-202. https://doi.org/10.7758/RSF.2021.7.1.11.
(2) Walker, T. “Do Restorative Practices Work?” NEA Today, 8 November 2023, https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/do-restorative-practices-work.
(3) D200 February 6, 2025 Committee of the Whole Board Meeting, Discipline Improvement Plan: ISBE.