West Carroll Board Member Atherton Issues Public Statement

By MICHAEL MILLER | For The Prairie Advocate News

A recent widely reported story concerning a post West Carroll Board member Timothy Atherton made on his personal Facebook page was allegedly investigated by both local and federal law enforcement authorities. Mr. Atherton released a public statement to the media. It reads as follows.

October 18, 2012

“Two weeks ago, I made a comment on my personal Facebook page that caused some individuals and organizations great concern. My comment was made in jest, but was perceived as serious. My poor judgment in making the comment has had very serious consequences. I am truly sorry for the anxiety my action has caused and I apologize to everyone for my lapse in plain common sense.

“I value being a member of the West Carroll School Board of Education and want to assure the board, students and community that this will not happen again. I will continue to be an advocate to ensure students in our district continue to receive a high quality education.”

In the Correspondence portion of Wednesday evening’s West Carroll School Board meeting, Board President Mike Highland offered the following comment in light of the incident involving Board member Atherton, his Facebook post, and the controversy and questions arising from it:

October 17, 2012

“Over the course of the past week, various Board members, the district office, and district staff members have been contacted about the behavior of individuals belonging to this Board. The situations came to a head today with an article in [a newspaper], anonymous emails to television stations, and phone calls to Board members places of employment.

“The West Carroll Board of Education is a governmental body that has no legal authority as an individual; only as a collective board when convened for a legal purpose. The actions of individual Board members that does not represent the public interest in education, nor supports acceptable standards of the Illinois Association of School Boards oath of office is not condoned.

“Numerous calls, comments, and emails have demanded the removal of a board member. While each of those constituents was heard, Illinois School Code does not grant the authority to local school boards to discipline or remove a school board member from their elected office.

“The actions of the past week are the responsibility of individuals not acting as a representative of the West Carroll School District. By reviewing the Board policies on Board responsibilities and duties and reviewing our oath of office taken every two years, our desire is to refocus our energies on representing our communities’ interest in education. It is the responsibility of the electorate to choose or not choose their Board representative.”

President Mike Highland