District 220 board members violated policies, investigation finds

Two Barrington Area Unit School District 220 board members violated board policies by posting images of students, district property and the district’s chess piece logo on campaign social media sites, an outside investigator determined.

Board members Leah Collister-Lazzari and Barry Altshuler have since deactivated those campaign Facebook pages.

The same investigation cleared board President Sandra Ficke-Bradford of alleged wrongdoing for a photo of her in front of Barrington High School that appeared in a 2025 Daily Herald article.

The school board on Thursday accepted the results of the investigation, which was conducted by the law firm of Robbins Schwartz. None of Collister-Lazzari, Altshuler or Ficke-Bradford addressed the report during the meeting.

Collister-Lazzari and Ficke-Bradford later declined to comment on the findings.

“I admit that I'm not a perfect person,” Altshuler said after the meeting. “I'm just not sure it had to go the way it went.”

The investigation was sparked by a complaint made anonymously under the school district’s Uniform Grievance Procedure.

The investigation report said Collister-Lazzari stated that in 2023 she followed what was district protocol at the time in using the school district’s logo in campaign materials.

Altshuler, according to the report, told investigators he did not believe his use of the logo during the 2023 election was aimed at gaining advantage over opponents. He added he was never asked to remove Facebook posts or his page.

He said his “Barry Altshuler — 220 School Board” social media page contained both campaign and non-campaign posts. He disagreed with the assessment that his posts were political but admitted it was a “gray zone” and ultimately deactivated the account.

The investigation recommended all board members undergo training to review board policies and procedures related to political activity.

School board member Erin Chan Ding took aim at the anonymous complaints that led to the inquiry.

“I’m extremely concerned that the anonymous nature of these complaints has become a means to harass and attack board members with whom some members of the public may disagree,” she said.

The school board, based on an investigation triggered by an anonymous complaint in November, found Ding violated policies based on her campaigning for the 52nd District Illinois House seat.