Poor demonstration of leadership style

I have been following the endorsements you have been releasing regarding candidates running for our local government positions. As a CUSD 200 graduate with two children in district schools, I am most invested in that race. I watch public comment at our school board meetings and would like to call your attention to the behavior of two school board candidates at the March 14, 2024, BOE meeting, which can be viewed on the video recording posted to the district website.

Ms. Erkenswick and Ms. Gennaro are spokespeople for a group named Our Pact — A Place for CUSD200 Parents, which organized a showing at this meeting, with the intent, in their words, “to engage in respectful discourse around solutions for the recurring safety concerns in our district schools.” Other members of the group can be seen dressed in purple and holding the group’s signs.

Observe this “respectful discourse” in Ms. Gennaro’s speech characterizing administration and the BOE as lions and parents and students as sheep, at the end of which Ms. Erkenswick doubles over in laughter. For much of the other public comments, Ms. Erkenswick and Ms. Gennaro do not appear to be listening, instead whispering between themselves and with other members standing in the back row.

Lastly, after student Avani Bharadwa comments, several members of the audience boo her. Adults bullying children is despicable. Yet Ms. Erkenswick and Ms. Gennaro do nothing to address this, neither in the moment nor via public social media statement from the group after the fact.

I observe disrespect, lack of listening and failure to stand up to the bullies in their midst. Is this the kind of leadership our district needs? I certainly don’t think so.

Emily Piro

Wheaton