Naperville School District 203 is preparing to embark on a year-long listening campaign to rebuild trust with the community.
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The announcement came at Monday’s school board meeting, the same meeting at which a parent reiterated previously made concerns about an elementary school teacher’s actions, which he believes crossed the line of appropriate behavior.
And a high school teacher on Monday raised his own concerns, saying he believed he was unfairly reprimanded by district offficials for supporting Palestinian students and those impacted by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Board member Melissa Kelley Black said the district doesn’t need another listening session. Rather, families, staff and taxpayers have been speaking out for years and feel as though their voices have gone unheard, she said.
“Every school district should seek meaningful input from its community,” Kelley Black said. “The problem is that this proposal asks the public to trust the very people whose action caused that trust to erode. … The issue has never been a lack of feedback. The issue has been a lack of meaningful response.”
Before the initiative was announced, district parent David Geslak asked the board for accountability and consequences for an issue he has been raising for months. Since June, he has spoken out on a teacher’s behavior, which he says involves things like growling, blowing in a child’s ear and putting food directly in students’ mouths. The teacher also texted his family a video of their child on a Saturday night using a personal cell phone, Geslak said.
He reported the incidents to school officials nearly three years ago, he said, but the district did not report it to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services or law enforcement.
“This is about demanding that District 203 live up to what it tells our children every single day: tell the truth, do the right thing and when you make a mistake, own it,” he said. “We expect that from our children. It’s time we expect it from the adults entrusted with protecting them.”
Naperville City Councilman Josh McBroom, a district parent, said members of the public are frustrated.
“Parents in this district, I can tell you, have not felt like 203 boards have heard them for a very long time,” he said. “These types of things become public issues because people don’t believe that you’re going to be transparent with them. They don’t believe that the school board is in partnership with parents. They believe the school board is in partnership with the administration, which is, of course, the exact opposite of what it should be.”
Former Naperville police detective Rich Wistocki, who trains students and parents about predators and grooming behavior, said he has made presentations in Indian Prairie District 204 schools but has not been invited to speak at District 203 schools.
“The more we train our students and parents, the less victimization we have,” he said.
Superintendent Dan Bridges said student safety is the district’s highest priority.
“The district does not ignore or dismiss reports involving student safety or staff conduct,” Bridges said. “Any concern brought to school or district administrators is addressed promptly through established review and investigative procedures.”
When allegations involving employee conduct or student boundaries are reported, school and district administrators follow district procedures and state law, Bridges said.
State and federal privacy laws require the district to protect the confidentiality of students and the rights of teachers, and the district cannot comment directly on the allegations raised during public comment, Bridges said. That doesn’t mean the district has failed to act, he said.
Geslak said Bridges’ response was nothing more than lip service. He said he received a generic email from Bridges after he spoke out in June, but there has been no offer to sit down and speak about the matter.
One elementary school parent, Corlyne Mulder, said her experience with the teacher in question and that of other school parents she knows does not jibe with the issues raised by Geslak. As a physician, Mulder said she is mandated to report if she has concerns about inappropriate behavior.
“I want transparency and I want kid safety. I want all those things,” she said. “But I also want to offer a counterpoint.”
Also Monday, Naperville Central High School orchestra teacher Jeff Sturgeon told the school board he was singled out and disciplined for advocating for Palestinian, Arab, Muslim and other students who felt grief and fear related to the ongoing violence in Gaza.
He said he was placed on administrative leave for 2½ months, his district devices were confiscated and he was required to submit to a psychological evaluation that included questions that were “inappropriate, hostile and unrelated to my fitness to teach.”
His unexplained absence caused confusion and distress among his students and co-workers, he said.
Sturgeon said he was also reprimanded for holding a “Free Palestine” sign during a school video in which other students and staff were displaying flags and symbols representing various nations, identities and causes.
“My advocacy has always been rooted in empathy, professional ethics and concern for students,” Sturgeon said. “I have not called for harm against anyone. I have called for freedom, safety, education and humanity for children and families experiencing extraordinary suffering. Those values should not be treated as misconduct.”
During Sturgeon’s speech, the board walked out and took a brief recess after board President Charles Cush repeatedly banged his gavel and told Sturgeon his speaking time expired. Kelley Black remained in the boardroom.
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During the recess, Sturgeon said he was “happy somebody stayed and cares about what is going on in the district.”
His wife, Stephanie Sturgeon, said DuPage County has one of the densest populations of Palestinian-Americans in the United States.
“Being a culturally responsive educator not only allows for all students to see themselves in the school curriculum, it also calls for all children to feel safe and free of hate and bigotry in the walls of our school,” she said.
In a statement issued after the meeting Tuesday, the district said it is unable to publicly comment on personnel or student matters. The district also maintains reasonable guidelines regarding public participation at meetings, including limiting public comment, to allow sufficient time for the board to conduct business, the statement said.
“It is the district’s primary objective to ensure a safe and healthy educational environment in all of its schools and programs, and the district takes all necessary and appropriate steps to address any concerns related to the educational environment,” the statement said.
During Monday’s meeting, the district announced its Forward Together campaign to engage students, staff, families and the community about the district’s future.
The process, which includes surveys and community engagement through August 2027, is designed to rebuild trust through transparency, elevate stakeholders’ voices and create a framework for student success, district documents said.
While Kelley Black expressed concerns about the timing and lack of independent oversight, other board members said the program will allow for more feedback in smaller groups and multiple opportunities to engage with the community.
“The more input we get, the better the output is going to be,” Cush said.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.