Thornton Township Schools District 205 board takes heat from township official over fourth of July friction

Dolton mayor and Thornton Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard piled on Thornton Township Schools District 205 board members over a conflict earlier this month at the township’s Independence Day celebration.

It all played out last week at the board’s regular meeting during a dramatic public comment session.

The event, traditionally held on the grass at the Thornridge High School campus in Dolton since 2021 when Henyard was elected to the village, was abruptly forced to the road this year. She and an ally said the board played politics. But the campus is also closed for capital improvements.

According to Henyard, she and Keith Price, a Thornton Township food pantry manager and Harvey Public Library Board trustee, spoke to D205 President Nina Graham as the township coordinated the festivities, “like we do every year,” Henyard said. 

Henyard, who has been embroiled in controversies regarding the use of township funds, did not hold back her dissatisfaction with how the district managed the event. “She told us we cannot have the event on your grass,” addressing other board members. “She then said you called the sheriffs. The sheriffs came out to govern the grass.” 

Cook County Sheriff’s Office vehicles drove all over the school grass, Price said during his own public comment. “It’s disheartening that I feel like politics played a huge role in not allowing the children and the residents to enjoy the land.”

In a May 2024 news release, the district announced Thornwood and Thornridge are closed for the summer months for construction. Both are slated to receive new roofs. The board’s June, July, and August meetings are all being held at Thornton as a result, instead of rotating the meeting locations between the three schools.

The back and forth illuminated connections across Dolton, the D205 board, and township political spheres.

D205 board member Stanley Brown is also a Dolton trustee. And Nakita Cloud, a public relations specialist and Henyard’s former chief of staff, is possibly providing communications assistance to the board, as well as township trustees who are critical of Henyard.

Cloud could not be reached for comment by press time.

“I don’t know if you all have Nakita as a spokesperson,” Price said, “but she reached out to me claiming that the president thought somebody was threatening her. Never did I threaten her.” Price said he has email communications documenting that conversation.

According to Henyard, after that weekend, she personally called Graham to ask why children couldn’t play on Thornridge’s grass. Henyard added that Graham recorded their phone conversation. “I’m here to let the board know, I’m suing Nina Graham, because you cannot record someone without their consent,” Henyard said. 

Illinois is a two-party consent state, meaning a person must receive permission from another party to record private conversations, outside of most public settings.

Graham then made an inaudible comment that she would not repeat upon Henyard’s request. Henyard, who finished speaking as her three-minute time limit ran out, doubled back toward the podium and pressed Graham to repeat her statement.

Listen to Price and Henyard’s public comment here:

Graham later declined the HWH’s request for comment. 

“We really don’t have any comment about the fourth of July thing. All the information that was supposed to be passed between inner government agencies was passed,” said Superintendent Dr. Nathaniel Cunningham. “We would like to celebrate some of the wonderful things that our kids are doing [instead].”

Class of 2024 success stories

Districtwide, the class of 2024 garnered over $11.4 million in scholarships and grants and a 95% graduation rate. Students participating in the restorative justice-oriented PEACE Center program visited the Environmental Tech Institute in Willowbrook to gain hands-on experience in trades, including welding. Participants were encouraged to enroll in ETI’s seven-month-long post-secondary trade program. 

The Center also organized a trip to Accra, Ghana, where students learned about about Ghanaian culture. They plan to visit Italy in the future.

Students shine at youth entrepreneurship competition

Two Thornwood students, Ariana Whitaker and Jaylin Metcalfe won first place and received honors, respectively, at the Midwestern NFTE National Competition in May.

This competition involves students developing business ideas, creating business plans, and honing presentation skills to compete for cash prizes and seed capital.

Whitaker, 15, developed an application called DIGIPLAN. The “app that combats procrastination by providing essential tools like a personalized schedule and a feature that shuts down any non-educational social media apps a student may be overusing when the assignment is due,” Whitaker explained. “With DIGIPLAN, we can defeat procrastination one assignment at a time.”

Metcalfe, 18, launched Black Women Support, which involves the community and organizations to prevention human trafficking. “My life growing up was full of strong, independent, powerful women, and it hurts me to hear about horrific stories of women being trafficked all around the world,” Metcalfe said.

The board also announced the extension of its e-learning program through June 30, 2027.

Started during the COVID-19 pandemic, this program allows students to attend classes online via the Google Platform in the event of weather or emergency situations that prevent in-person learning.

The next regular board meeting is scheduled for August 14 at Thornton.