Metzger will keep state board post

Mark Metzger may no longer be president of the Indian Prairie Unit District 204 school board, but he will keep the top spot at the Illinois Association of School Boards.

Some candidates competing in the April 7 school board election have joined a group of parents calling for Metzger to be relieved of his duties as president of the state association after he penned a vulgar e-mail last week in response to a father's complaints about District 204's handling of an alleged sexual assault involving three Gregory Middle School students that occurred off campus.

Metzger stepped down Tuesday as president of the District 204 school board, but will continue to serve as one of its seven elected officials. He is not up for election this spring in the district that covers portions of Naperville, Aurora, Bolingbrook and Plainfield.

Michael Johnson, executive director of the state association, said Wednesday that he and his staff have been following the District 204 incident, including the e-mail Metzger mistakenly sent to board members and the alleged victim's father on Friday morning.

But Johnson said the incident does not have any connection to Metzger's role as the state association president.

"All of our members come from local school boards across the state and all of those local boards have hot issues at one time or another," Johnson said. "When they join our board we remind members they are representing a region or state rather than their local district and this issue is one of the reasons we maintain that separation."

Johnson said he has not received any communication from anyone seeking Metzger's resignation or for the association to take any action against Metzger.

The association is a voluntary group of school boards dedicated to strengthening public schools through local citizen control. Johnson said the group is organized by member school boards as a private not-for-profit corporation.

"To be on the board of directors, the only requirement is that you serve on a local school board," Johnson said. "So as recently as today, Mark still meets our qualifications to serve as a member."

Metzger declined comment Wednesday beyond confirming he still holds his title with the association.