An email sent before April 6 Consolidate Election
Last Spring, Fitzgerald Samedy was elected to the District 87 School Board, serving a four-year term. Before the April 6, 2021 Election, he was contacted by Superintendent Barry Reilly via district email regarding two DUIs that occurred in 2018 in McLean and Cook Counties found in Samedy’s public record.
Superintendents are un-elected CEOs of school districts serving as employees of school boards. The board votes on the position of the superintendent. After more than 10 years, Reilly plans to retire after the next school year, in June 2022. District 87 has announced on its website that David Mouser will be the next Superintendent of Bloomington Public Schools, pending approval from the District 87 Board of Education.
On March 19, 2021, less than one month before the local elections, Reilly sent an email to then-candidate Samedy, stating, “I am now receiving questions concerning your criminal background in McLean and Cook counties. I anticipate this will come out in the media soon. Is there a statement you would like to provide regarding this information?”
Samedy is a Haitian American and a first-generation born United States citizen, though it is unclear if Samedy feels that he is being discriminated against for his conservative stance on issues within the school that come before the board.
Samedy replied to Reilly stating, “Haitian community says fight.”
A Tribune investigation found that in Chicago, 84% of the roadside checks were scheduled in areas populated mostly by minorities while roadways in areas with more DUI-related crashes that are predominantly white are checked less often, or not at all.
Samedy has served as a Republican precinct committeeman. This is his first time serving in an elected office. After learning the type of nontraditional education and school policies here in Bloomington, he felt it necessary to bring a more conservative voice to D87 schools. During an interview with Cities 92.9, he said based on the less than warm welcome he has received by the District 87 school board, specifically Reilly, that point of view doesn’t appear to be welcomed, despite the district’s diversity, equity and inclusion position.
An email sent before April 6 Consolidate Election.
Reilly also sent an email on March 19, 202 stating, “I have attached the form you would need to complete and have notarized. I would recommend 2 official copies sent to the addresses below. As I said in the call, I am willing to help you engage with District 87 as part of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task force or help connect you with building level committees. I will also keep my word on a statement to the media should I be contacted.”
Attached in this email were withdrawal forms for Samedy’s run for school board. The addresses attached to the bottom of the email to Samedy are those of the Illinois State Board of Elections and the McLean County Clerk’s office.
On Sept. 14 five fights were reported in one day at District 87’s Bloomington High School. At that time, in response to parent requests for metal detectors, Reilly stated they, “give you a false sense of security.”
Another incident occurred on Nov. 4 a loaded gun with extra ammunition was found in the backpack of a Bloomington High School student. This was within days of the brawl that put a school police officer in the hospital for two days.
Samedy’s frustrations with the board and certain school policies were exacerbated after he requested emergency meetings with the board on two separate occasions to talk about violence in Bloomington High School and was denied both times. Both requests were concerning violent incidents, one of which was immediately following the gun incident.
Samedy then publicly called for the resignations of Reilly and the board. The student accused of bringing a firearm to school appeared in court Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 24, as charges were transferred to adult court.
Samedy told Cities 92.9 that a gun in a high school should have never happened in the first place.
“It should’ve been caught at the front door,” said Samedy. “At this point I would like the superintendent and the rest of the school board to resign. There’s no coming back from this.”
Samedy said that he had no idea about any of the recent violence, the depth of the CRT/DEI/Social & Emotional Learning, and other items being brought to his attention by parents speaking out against these issues at the school board meetings, during public comment.
If it weren’t for parents bringing these items to his attention at board meetings, he would have no idea of many of the problems, questioned policies or any proposed solutions to discuss the parent’s concerns.
