Addressing bullying a hot topic of Morton school board race
MORTON, Ill. (WMBD) — The Morton Board of Education race is heating up as election day approaches, with allegations of bullying within the district ratcheting up the intensity.
It features Dr. Ashley Fischer and fellow newcomers Krystiana Purdy and Wes Ohnesorge, along with current school board members Diane Krall and Jerry Rudd seeking re-election.
Five candidates are running for four seats on the board, with Purdy, Ohnesorge, Krall and Rudd running together in opposition to Fischer.
Fischer said bullying in the district mainly targets LGBTQ and non-white students and that the current board does not do enough to deal with the issue.
'When these complaints are brought forth, if the other person doesn't admit to doing it, the administration basically doesn't address it at all,' she said.
Board of Education President David Cross said he does not believe bullying is any more prevalent in Morton than any other school district, and that Fischer's claims are false.
'She (Dr. Fischer) alleges that District 709, including its staff, administrators, and board of education, turn a blind eye or even condone such behavior. This is insulting to our hardworking teachers, aides and administrators and could not be further from the truth,' he said.
Fischer is advocating for the school district to adopt the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System, which is a free service that allows students to submit anonymous tips to an app where a crisis center evaluates the reports and determines what course of action is needed.
She also said it is a 'multi-faceted' problem and that there won't be a one-size-fits-all solution.
In addition to bullying, Fischer also wants to address the mental health of students and thinks her background as a pediatrician will help.
In a statement, Rudd said the board takes bullying very seriously and is working toward addressing the problem.
'All candidates running together are committed to strengthening Morton schools' anti-bullying policies. All candidates agree no discrimination will be tolerated,' he said.
Rudd said the other candidates and himself disagree with Fischer on 'allowing biological males to participate in girls' sports.'
'Dr. Fischer has strongly supported allowing biological males to participate in girls' sports and use girls' locker rooms. Dr. Fischer's position is no surprise because she is a pediatrician who practices gender transition medicine on children,' he said.
Jim Rule, chairman of the Tazewell County Republicans, echoed Rudd's sentiments.
'We are working hard to defeat the candidate who is using bullying as a cover-up for what she is really about, which is the transgender ideology that we're trying to make sure stays out of our schools,' he said.
Fischer said she cares for LGBTQ youth as a pediatrician, but she doesn't have any ulterior agenda.
'I think all children deserve access to health care, and I think they deserve access in a safe space. That is the worst thing they can say about me, is that I think all children deserve health care,' she said.
She went on to say that she doesn't want to assign blame to any single member of the board, but that the district needs a culture change, and a fresh voice could be what is needed.
'An unfortunate outcome is a kid gets bullied so much that they leave the school district. We should be examining why that happened. We should be looking at how we can fix all the stuff that led up to that,' she said.
The election will be decided on April 1.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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