Oct. 30--A Waukegan School Board member who told a large, agitated crowd to "shut up" at Tuesday night's board meeting addressing the teachers strike apologized Wednesday.
"I sincerely apologize for my actions last night, and can offer no excuse for them," Waukegan School Board member Victoria Torres said, according to a statement from school district spokeswoman Laura Miller.
"The tensions of the past few weeks, as well as the personal attacks on my character, my family and my actions, have been nearly unbearable. In the chaos of the Board meeting, where we couldn't even hear the person next to us, I felt attacked and lost my temper. As a leader, I realize I set a poor example for the students of Waukegan Public Schools, and for the community, and I am truly sorry for how I acted."
Board President Anita Hanna said in the statement that she "does not condone disrespectful behavior by any persons, including other Board Members."
"We hope the progression of events that transpired (Tuesday) night will never happen again," Hanna said.
Some members of the teachers union and their supporters are calling for Torres' resignation.
"Yeah, sit down, shut up," Torres scolded the crowd Tuesday night, which answered back with boos. "Yeah, shut up."
The audience, packed into the 1,800-capacity auditorium of Waukegan High School, became angry when the board said it would cut short the time for public comments. Audience members chanted, "Shame on you," and waved posters in support of the teachers.
About 30 minutes after the meeting started, board members ended the meeting and walked out of the auditorium. Afterward, the board issued a statement saying the meeting was canceled "due to a lack of civility."
"There is nobody in this community who wants this strike -- not the students, not the parents, not the Board and not the Teachers," Hanna said Wednesday in a statement. "We are committed to negotiations and our team has been back at the table since this morning, focused on getting a deal done and putting our children back in the classrooms."
Gov. Pat Quinn on Wednesday directed Gery Chico, chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education, to intervene in Waukegan teacher contract talks to help reach a settlement and end the strike that has lasted nearly a month.
"Students in Waukegan need to get back to school, and we need both sides to work together to get it done," Quinn said in a news release. He asked Chico to meet with both sides to "work toward a swift resolution."
Quinn said the 17,000 children affected by the strike "cannot afford to miss another day of school."
Teachers in the Waukegan school system, which serves students in kindergarten through 12th grade, walked off the job Oct. 2, seeking better pay and benefits. Wednesday marks the 20th school day students have missed.
