The Skokie Elementary School District Board is saying a group of parents, who are suing the board because they allege the district is riddled with racism, have made the "shockingly repugnant" claim the board and superintendent are in league with a white supremacist group.
"Plaintiffs offer zero factual support — in a verified complaint, nonetheless — to support such inflammatory and repulsive allegations. Plaintiffs are attempting to use the court as a conduit to advocate for their own policy ideas, and, in turn, attack those with whom they disagree with politically," the school officials said in a recent court filing.
In January 2022 in Cook County Circuit Court, Roxann Monic Salgado, Roy Jonas Conley Jr., Angela Sangha-Gadsden and Terence Zaire Gadsden sued the board and superintendent Cindy Whittaker, alleging the officials did not institute anti-racist policies and programs, and fostered a "hostile learning environment for students of color."
Plaintiffs are parents of minority students in Skokie. The board members are Mary Anne Brown, Sargon Guliana, Aaron Schirmer, Jacqueline Bujdei, Diana Diakakis, Nora Downing and Shereen Lannoye.
On Dec. 2, the parents amended their lawsuit to include allegations board members and the superintendent are themselves racists. The new complaint also referenced the groups Awake Illinois and Niles Township Accountability Coalition, alleging they are racist organizations.
The parents alleged the officials are taking part in a "protracted and deliberate campaign of racist harassment and anti-Black racism towards Black and brown students" in pursuit of a "white centric education [that] harms Black and brown families."
According to the parents, there are 722 students in the district, of whom more than half are "students of color."
The board wants Judge Michael T. Mullen, who is presiding over the case, to throw out the suit, saying the suit is full of allegations that are "utterly false, offensive, wholly immaterial, insufficient in law" and "devoid" of specificity.
The board pointed out the parents devoted significant space in their complaint to Awake Illinois, mentioning its alleged founder, Shannon Adcock, and its alleged vice president, Helen Levinson, who also allegedly founded the Coalition. Neither Awake Illinois nor Adcock and Levinson are parties to the suit, so are immaterial and have no place in the suit, according to the board.
Further, the parents claim board member Bujdei belongs to Awake Illinois and the Coalition.
"Although Plaintiffs undoubtedly opposed Ms. Bujdei's election to the Board, these personal attacks and unfounded, inflammatory, conclusory, abhorent, and speculative allegations against her, the Superintendent, and the Board as a whole are insufficient. Plaintiffs' personal dislike for one elected board member is immaterial and legally insufficient," the board said in its motion to dismiss.
The board added that it is "black letter law" that no board member, such as Bujdei, has authority to implement policy on their own.
In a similar vein, the parents cited instances of allegedly racist words and acts by unnamed students, as well as remarks by certain unidentified parents and alleged white supremacists at unspecified board meetings. The board countered it did not ignore these acts and remarks, but addressed them.
Despite the parents' assertions, the board has policies on diversity and equity, the board said. In addition, the parents themselves included in their suit hundreds of pages laying out board procedures for discussing and improving diversity and equity, according to the board. Further, the board said Black, Hispanic and Asian history months are taught in the district.
"The Board cares deeply about students of color," the board said.
In the board's view the accusations have "no basis in reality" and call into question whether parents acted in good faith.
The board asserted, "The specter of these unfounded and baseless allegations of racism and white supremacy against school officials, like Bujdei, who serve the public and protect their students cannot be allowed to linger in the public square, damaging their reputation."
The parents seek unspecified money damages, for the board to put into effect anti-racist programs and stop its allegedly racist conduct.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and State Superintendent of Education Carmen Ayala were included as defendants in earlier versions of the suit, but were not included in the latest iteration.
The school has been defended by Kevin P. McKeown and Jason T. Manning, of Hodges, Loizzi, Eisenhammer, Rodick & Kohn, of suburban Itasca.
Plaintiffs have been represented by Carlton Odim, of Odim Law Offices in Chicago, and Sheryl (Ring) Weikal, of Weikal Law in suburban McHenry.