Last night, the Rockford School Board voted 5-2 to close Parkside Elementary, disregarding the voices of over 950 petition signers who urged them to slow down and provide more transparency. Adding to the frustration, the same five board members voted at the start of the meeting to block public comment before making their decision—silencing the very community they were elected to serve.

This process moved too fast, with too many unanswered questions, and it was clear that the majority of the board had made up their minds long before hearing from those impacted. The voices of parents, students, and community members should have mattered, but they were ignored.

This is not just about Parkside—it’s about holding our elected officials accountable and demanding transparency and stakeholder engagement in decisions that affect our schools and our children. We are not done fighting. Thank you for standing with us.

#SaveParkside #TransparencyMatters #OurVoicesMatter