Board Finds Erin Chan Ding in Violation of Ethics Policy AGAIN—Notifies State’s Attorney

We have a major update regarding our campaign. On June 29, 2026, the Barrington CUSD 220 Board of Education officially adopted its decision regarding the second formal ethics complaint filed against Board Member Erin Chan Ding. 

The independent investigation conducted by outside law firm Robbins Schwartz has concluded, and the Board has once again found her in violation of official policies. Despite her previous promises to "do better" following her flagrant violations in late 2025, the independent report found a clear pattern of recidivism. 

The latest findings reveal that she has continuously failed to maintain the ethical standards required of a public official. 

Key Findings & Violations Accepted by the Board

Following a thorough evaluation under the "preponderance of the evidence" standard, the Board accepted several critical findings from the independent investigative report: 

• Conflict of Interest & Impropriety: The Board found that Ding violated Board Policy 2:80 (Board Member Code of Conduct) when she actively voted on her own disciplinary action during the first complaint on November 18, 2025. By refusing to recuse herself from a vote directly impacting her personal interests, she created a clear appearance of a conflict of interest and impropriety. 
• Misuse of District Successes for Political Gain: The Board accepted the finding that Ding violated Policy 2:80 by allowing promotional social media posts and references to District achievements to remain active on her partisan political campaign platforms. 
• Failure to Correct Behavior: The report explicitly determined that her conduct in this second complaint was substantially the same as the first. It concluded that she did not adequately adjust her behavior to follow the explicit directions, training, and expectations provided by the Board and its legal counsel. 

The Board's Remedial Orders

Because of her repeated failure to comply with basic ethics protocols—which has already cost District 220 taxpayers over $34,000 in legal and training fees from the first investigation alone—the Board has issued the following directives: 

1. State's Attorney Notification: In accordance with the enforcement provisions of Board Policy 2:105, the Board Secretary has been directed to notify the Lake County State's Attorney of this official decision. 
2. Demand for Apology & Counseling: The Board noted that it is entirely appropriate for Ding to reimburse the District for the taxpayer funds spent investigating this second complaint. In lieu of direct financial reimbursement, the Board is officially requesting that she write a formal letter of apology and seek independent, self-funded Ethics Counseling on her own time. 
3. Content Removal: She has been ordered to immediately remove any remaining references to District achievements from her campaign platforms and decline to vote on any future matters that pose a conflict of interest. 
4. Labor Recusal Expectations: While the lawful receipt of union campaign contributions did not technically violate statutory law, the Board explicitly stated it expects Ding to consider recusing herself from all future deliberations and actions regarding collective bargaining agreements with local affiliates. 

Why Our Petition Matters Now More Than Ever

This official decision proves what our community has argued from the beginning: the local school board has exhausted its structural capacity to self-govern an individual who disregards taxpayer-funded legal instruction and policy boundaries. A voluntary public position requires an uncompromised fiduciary duty to the community. When a public official prioritizes personal political ambition over the ethical integrity of school governance, resignation or forceable removal by the Regional Superintendent are the only viable paths forward to restore public trust. 

The First Investigation resulted in over $34,000.00 in legal fees and costs to the taxpayers of District 220. Independent legal reviews and specialized municipal ethics inquiries typically bill between $250 and $450 per hour. This Second Investigation —is conservatively estimated to have cost taxpayers an additional $15,000 to $25,000.Board Findings and Uniform Grievance Complaint 

Every dollar spent auditing a sitting board member's partisan political missteps is a dollar taken directly out of the District’s operational budget.

Please write the Board of Ed Members and show up at the next meeting on July 23rd and demand that the Board seek removal of Member Chan Ding by the Regional Superintendent, Karner.

Thank you for your continued support. Please share this update, sign, and demand accountability for Barrington District 220.