‘There’s nobody Hispanic’ : WHD SD147 lacks racial representation, parents say

Parents at West Harvey-Dixmoor School District 147 are pushing for increased resources to serve Latino students at the largely Black and Brown school district.

WHD SD147’s student population is 53 percent Black and 46 percent Latino, according to the Illinois Report Card, a statewide database on school districts created by the Illinois State Board of Education.

Lack of racial representation on the school board is partly to blame for significant gaps in need and services, from testing accommodations to administrative—parent engagement, some suggested during a regular board meeting on Nov. 12.

“I feel like my culture and my people are not being representative because there’s nobody Hispanic up here with us,” parent and staffer Lizzie Welch said. 

Welch and others are often called to translate and help non-Spanish speaking staff communicate with Spanish speakers, she said. 

As she spoke, she was flanked by a sea of red signs. “STOP BULLYING LATINO STUDENTS & FAMILY,” one read.

The WHD SD147 school board is exclusively Black — but not for lack of effort from non-Black residents in Harvey and Dixmoor.

In October, a vacancy opened after a board member resigned. Several parents, Black and Latino, submitted letters of interest, Welch included. But the night the board made its appointment, none of them were allowed to read aloud their letters and present them to the board. Though not required by law, it’s a common practice for some south suburban governing bodies. The board moved to appoint Kenneth Henderson, ineligible to hold local office due to felony convictions, who previously served between 2019 and 2023.

Another parent complained that some at the meeting were repeatedly ignoring her phone calls. She suggested her daughter was being racially stereotyped, preventing her from securing the appropriate help. Administrators said her daughter “was having a problem speaking English because Spanish was her stronger language,” she said. “My daughter doesn’t speak Spanish.”

“It’s important that we learn each other’s culture, and then we begin to address those needs,” Interim Co-Superintendent Creg Williams said in response to Welch’s concerns. That evening, the board approved the Bilingual Parent Action Committee to “provide resources and support for bilingual families within the District 147 community.”

Williams said that principals would be in contact with parents to remedy their concerns.

Five board seats will be on the ballot in the 2025 elections. 

Welch has filed petitions, joining a Black–Brown coalition that includes Sharon McGee, Asucena Gutierrez, and incumbent Bonnie Rateree. Henderson filed petition challenges against all four. He withdrew them in early December.

Bullying and transparency concerns

WHD SD147 leadership found itself under fire for accusations school officials don’t seriously address bullying.

Rozenner Swarn, a parent of a fifth grader at Rosa L. Parks Middle School who has an individualized education plan, said her son’s being bullied by three students. She’s reported it, but school officials said it didn’t meet the district’s criteria for bullying, she said.

They also told her “it’s not bullying when your child defends itself,” Swarn said. “It seems like teachers and administrations are trying to bully kids with IEPs to put them in self-contained classes,” she added.

In self-contained classes, those with special needs are taught by a single instructor for multiple subjects in a day. Swarn’s son does not have an IEP that calls for self-contained classes, she said. He’s also expressed feelings of suicidal ideation, Swarn said. 

This fall, Rosa L. Parks officials reported her to Dixmoor police after she was seen on campus grounds with a sign, protesting bullying.

The night of the November board meeting, attendees allege the board began the meeting and took roll call without telling them, who were left waiting outside. Then, they went into closed session, permitted by the state’s transparency law, before letting the public inside for an open session. But Swarn, who works an overnight shift, left before the meeting began, visibly tired.

Another woman would echo Swarn’s concerns, blasting district leadership for its response to bullying during public comment. 

“Last year, my son got slammed on his head by a girl,” she said. According to her, the problem has persisted across academic years with little to no assistance from school leadership or other parents:

“I am sure that no one is saying nothing is to be done. Something is to be done,” Williams said. “While that may be a nationwide thing, that does not mean that we have to tolerate it.”

Principals honored

In recognition of their distinguished service, principals at all three district schools were presented with certificates: Jacqanai Gipson of Rosa L. Parks; Ayana Hartzol, principal at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School; and Sarah Midlock of Lincoln Early Learning Center.

Official business

The board accepted the tentative 2024 tax levy. The finance committee will review the 2024 tax levy tonight at 6:45 P.M. A special meeting will follow at 7:00 P.M.