The Sycamore School District Board of Education on Tuesday adopted a resolution aimed at addressing community concerns about staff discipline, school safety and transparency after more than a dozen public commenters spoke during the meeting.

The board’s unanimous adoption of the resolution followed public remarks that included calls for clearer disciplinary records, better event security and stronger ethical safeguards. Members of the public also urged the board to hold a town-hall style discussion of potential state and federal budget impacts on the district’s programs.

Elana Gildan Blasner Dadel, who described herself as a safety and emergency-preparedness consultant, told the board, “Most events that take place on school property do not have any security presence,” and said she had observed unlocked doors and unsecured areas at district events. D. Jackson, a long-time resident and former booster president, asked directly, “Where is the leadership and where is the accountability?” Kelly Bruntz told the board she had lost trust after reviewing campaign contributions and meeting minutes; she said, “My trust has been breached as there appears to be something rotten in the state of Denmark.”

Board members cited the volume and intensity of public comment in explaining the resolution. The board and administration said they will pursue a combination of policy review, additional community communication and leadership development work for board and district leaders. The superintendent said legal counsel is assisting the district as staff review policy language required by new state and federal guidance.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution to approve actions addressing community concerns: adopted (mover: Dr. James; second: Mr. Harris). Roll call: 4 ayes, 0 no; one board member absent but submitted written support.
- Policy JFEB (release time for religious instruction): approved after second reading (mover: Dr. Steger; second: Dr. James). Roll call: 4 ayes, 0 no; one absent.
- Student meal pricing for 2025–26 (small increases to cover rising food and labor costs): approved. Roll call: 4 ayes, 0 no; one absent.
- Personnel consent agenda and the district’s February financial report: approved (routine motions). Roll call: all voting members present voted aye; one member was absent and provided a written statement of support for the resolution earlier in the meeting.

Board members emphasized that the resolution is intended to be a living document. In discussion before the vote, trustees asked that the superintendent and staff return specific policy proposals to the policy committee for review, and several trustees supported additional team-development work for the board to rebuild trust.

The board also voted to move several standard business items—contracts, change orders, purchases and field trips—forward as part of the consent agenda. The superintendent noted that the district will continue reviewing policies required by recent state law changes and by guidance from the U.S. Department of Education and will return proposed wording to the board for public discussion.

The meeting record shows the district plans to post the adopted resolution and the underlying documents to the board portal and website so community members can review the text and follow up with the policy committee.

Ending

The board set a near-term schedule of committee review and said it will consider additional public forums and updates. One absent board member sent a brief statement of support for the resolution and called it a starting point to rebuild transparency.