Greeted by a hoard of frustrated community members, the Blue Island Elementary District 130 board declared a member vacancy Tuesday and addressed allegations of unhealthy school conditions following custodial layoffs.
Security staff prevented about 50 people from entering the board room, saying it had reached capacity before the meeting’s scheduled start time. An gymnasium at Eisenhower Cooperative school in Crestwood was converted into an overflow room with a near unintelligible live stream of the meeting.
Among those kept from the board room were former District 130 custodians and members of Service Employees International Union Local 73, who rallied outside the school after the public comment period. District 130 includes portions of Alsip, Blue Island, Crestwood and Robbins.
“It’s just a tactic they use to silence the union and make sure they don’t speak,” said Noah Cavazos, a Local 73 steward and former Paul Revere Primary School custodian.
SEIU 73 has filed a grievance with the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board for poor conditions within District 130 schools, alleging filthy bathrooms and floors, rodent and insect infestations, and mold. Cavazos, who himself is a District 130 alum, said the labor relations board plans to meet with the union next month.
“We were going to meet yesterday, but they wanted to take time to thoroughly investigate some more, which is a good sign they’re taking it very serious,” he said.
Members are also seeking an injunction to rescind the layoffs, which they believe violated state labor laws. Blue Island Mayor Fred Bilotto in a statement Friday requested the board reinstate the 31 dismissed custodians.
“It’s time for the school board to take action to protect our students and teachers,” he said. “I’m especially disappointed in our school board members from Blue Island, and they must vote to bring back the union custodians of SEIU Local 73.”
State Rep. Robert “Bob” Rita and Worth Township Supervisor Patricia Joan Murphy spoke in support of the union custodians and angry community members during a previous rally.
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District 130 board member Jennifer McGinnis said she called for a special board meeting earlier this month for that purpose, but was unable to reach a quorum. On Tuesday, she had lost confidence in the company hired to outsource cleaning services, prompting applause from meeting attendees.
Amber Lorenzen said her 12-year-old son, Gavin, has been chronically absent from Veterans Memorial Middle School so far this year due to health issues exacerbated by a dirty school environment.
“I was out for more days than I was in school,” Gavin said, noting his grades have suffered as a result.
In class, “it’s hard to breathe,” Gavin said.
“There’s like dirt, grime in all of the carpets,” he said. “The entire school is very dirty. My friends that are girls are saying that there’s girls products everywhere in the trash cans, on the floor and stuff.”
Gavin, who before the school year started rarely used a rescue inhaler for his asthma, has needed the device nearly every day since, Lorenzen said.
“I’m almost going to consider it medical neglect on (the school’s) behalf, because part of sending him to school is entrusting in them that, with whatever medical condition he may have, that he’s going to be safe,” Lorenzen said.
The board voted Tuesday to declare a vacancy after saying Sarah Kaliski-Roll, who has been absent from recent meetings, resigned.
But Kaliski-Roll says she did not intend to resign through the letter she sent board members, which expressed concerns about the handling of their search for a superintendent to replace Colleen McKay and other actions. The board voted in April to remove Kaliski-Roll as board president in favor of Nicole Martinez.
“For months, not one other member of the board has reached out to me to have a conversation, to explain why I was removed as president, nor to discuss the very real issues the district faces,” Kaliski-Roll said in a social media post Monday. “When I was elected to the board in May 2025, I dedicated my focus to issues of staffing, financial transparency and the superintendent search. And so from my perspective, the board’s continued misbehavior and misplaced priorities are particularly egregious.”