We were encouraged last week when a group of District 97 parents turned up at a school board meeting to raise concerns about the district’s planning in support of migrant students, families, and, honestly, any Hispanic community member as ICE continues its deportation rampage.
The questions and demands made by these parents, and some staff, were highly specific and well considered. The response of most board members was also to find ways to engage with families and take credit for what the district has already done while acknowledging there is more to accomplish.
Though it may feel we in Oak Park are in a bit of an ICE lull, the reality is that the damage created by ICE in this village late in 2025 is still being felt profoundly and the intensity of its assault on these villages and our children could ratchet up tomorrow. Such is the reality of living under this helter-skelter administration.
Credit for listening, now on to further support.