By: Diane Benjamin

District 87 doesn’t live stream school board meetings. They don’t post video on their website either. They should do both is they care about transparency.

Barry Reilly already resigned (retiring), Board Members should follow if they are intimated by Shane McCurdy. Reilly has no grounds to ban McCurdy from school board meetings which is likely why the hearing was delayed and no reschedule date offered.

I wasn’t at this meeting so I have to use media reports.

WJBC: https://www.wjbc.com/2021/12/03/district-87-chief-seeks-to-ban-critic-from-school-property-for-threatening-tirade-after-board-meeting/

Profanity doesn’t qualify as a reason to ban free speech, neither are anybody’s “feelings”.

WEEK.com: https://www.week.com/2021/12/03/district-87-chief-seeks-ban-critic-school-property-threatening-tirade-after-board-meeting/

The article is much of the same language.

The Edgar County Watchdogs sued to City of Urbana over their Public Comment policy that allowed comments favorable to Council members but cut off those that weren’t. The Watchdogs don’t bother with Public Access anymore since the 90 rule they are required to follow is a joke. PA can take years to rule without any consequences for failure to follow the law.

Urbana settled the case and changed their comment policy instead of fighting it in court: https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2021/10/urbana-settled-open-meetings-public-comment-lawsuit/?highlight=public%20comment

Barry Reilly should instead be looking at why parents are upset with District 87 instead of attempting to make “content based speech restrictions” during Public Comment.

Did Barry Reilly ask the police officers present to move between the Board and McCurdy? Did the police do it on their own? Sounds link intimidation!

Since McCurdy wasn’t arrested, he didn’t break any laws.

Barry Reilly sounds somewhat like the Loudoun County Virginia school board who had the police tackle the father who’s daughter who was raped at school so he couldn’t speak.

Funny how the media didn’t bother to ask Reilly what set McCurdy off! Maybe he had a good reason for being mad, too bad the “journalists” didn’t ask Reilly or McCurdy.

Shane McCurdy did post this on Facebook clear back in October:

District 87 has no grounds to ban McCurdy from the property. Maybe McCurdy is the one with the lawsuit.

There was a camera filming the last few District 87 school board meetings I attended. Where is the video Barry? Shouldn’t the people paying your salary get to see the video?

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