Keeping students safe in school and the “detracking” of the freshman curriculum dominated the discussion at a Feb. 25 forum for candidates for the District 200 Board of Education held at the Oak Park Main Library.
The Wednesday Journal sponsored the forum in advance of elections taking place April 1. Six candidates are running for four open seats.
Two groups have formed. The first is a slate consisting of Nate Mellman and Joshua Gertz. Fred Arkin, Kathleen Odell, Audrey Williams-Lee and write-in candidate David Schaafsma are an “informal coalition,” according to Schaafsma. Arkin and Williams-Lee are incumbents.
Moderator Dan Haley first asked about restorative justice, an approach to discipline focused on repairing harm and relationships. Mellman and Gertz argued that restorative justice works for less serious altercations, but fails to fully address more serious incidents. “We need to do something to make sure that all students and faculty are safe,” Gertz said.
Williams-Lee said the school does punish students for serious infractions and noted that restorative justice helps schools discipline equitably. This administration and this board take very seriously safety and we also take very seriously equity…and as the mom of black boys, they are treated differently.”
Another issue debated was the detracking of the freshman curriculum, a three-year-old initiative that places 85% of freshmen in honors courses in English, history, science and languages. Mellman and Gertz said the plan disadvantages both students who need more help and those not challenged enough by the courses. Gertz presented the statistic that Oak Park and River Forest High School lags behind peer schools in the percentage of freshmen on track to graduate.
Williams-Lee countered that, “We also graduate 95 percent of our students.”
Other topics discussed included saving taxpayer dollars, sustainability and antisemitism. Mellman and Gertz were among the signers of a letter in June 2024 alleging that three teachers committed antisemitic statements and acts in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks. The school has said the accused teachers were appropriately expressing their political beliefs. Haley asked the candidates, “How would you pursue those concerns?”
All candidates said there was no room for antisemitism or hate at OPRF. Mellman said that the school’s response to teachers he described as antisemitic should be to “remove that stumbling block” so that students can learn.
