Raising concerns of being silenced and a lack of transparency, two Batavia School District 101 board members abruptly resigned. The board members argued district leaders have been unresponsive to parent and student concerns and have stifled their own attempts at facilitating meaningful change.

Board members Danielle Sligar and Katy Swiecicki announced their resignations during the May 19 board meeting.

In a statement, the district said: “We extend our sincere appreciation for their service, leadership, and commitment to the students, staff, families and community of Batavia.” The district said it will soon share information about the process and timeline for filing the board vacancies.

‘Have our actions made their lives any better?’

Sligar has served for three years and her term was expiring in 2027. She said constant “barriers” by the board have prevented her from making the district’s schools a “safe and inclusive environment for all.” Sligar said the barriers prevent “open dialog, transparency and meaningful discussion.”

“Efforts to place issues on agendas often required months of follow-up, and too often concerns raised by our community felt dismissed or minimized,” Sligar said during the meeting. “I was especially discouraged by the inability of our current processes to genuinely hear staff and student voices.”

Sligar said the breakdown in communication and transparency prevented her effectively advocating for the community. She said the current makeup of the board “symbolizes who is being centered in our discussions.”

“The board is elected to serve alongside the community, not separate from it,” Sligar said. “We should be hearing directly from students, staff and families, not solely thorough the lens of administration. Seeking a full understanding of an issue should never be treated as an inconvenience.”

Sligar said the expertise of the administration should “never supersede the lived experiences of our students, staff, parents, and the broader community.” She said future meetings should seat student board members and staff members to discuss the impact of decisions from inside the classroom.

“We owe the community more than the bare minimum,” Sligar said. “We must continue asking ourselves, have we truly listened to the people most affected by our decisions? Have our actions made their lives any better? Please do not allow the fear of changing the status quo stop this board from making impactful decisions and changes.

‘Voiceless seat at the table’

Swiecicki was serving in her first term which, was expiring in 2029. She said community concerns, especially regarding inclusivity, have been met with silence by the board. Swiecicki said the current board is designed to cater to the administration rather than the students and teachers it was elected to represent.

She said community-raised issues that have not been addressed, include queer acknowledgment and inclusion, technology and cellphone usage in classrooms, class sizes and “reductions in staff that can prove disastrous for our most vulnerable students.”

“When I asked for items to be placed on agendas and tried to bring forth community questions and concerns for discussion, I’m met with disbelief, defensiveness, tone policing, vague legal threats, the implication that I’m incapable of understanding how things work and, worst of all – silence,” Swiecicki said during the meeting.

Swiecicki said her recent multiple sclerosis diagnosis has made it difficult for her to continue shouldering the stress from “operating from my voiceless seat at this table.” She said whenever the community does receive a response to its concerns, it emanates from “one singular voice amongst us.”

She said the obstacles preventing meaningful discussions from reaching board agendas creates the “perfect condition for us to dodge accountability for how our decisions get made.” Swiecicki said this strategy only centers the administration’s needs over the community’s.

“I’ve been effectively silenced as a board member at nearly every turn,” Swiecicki said. “I can no longer tolerate asking questions that never get answered.”

Swiecicki said the “hate speech against our beloved trans community members” in the wake of the district’s Women’s History Month social media post about trans U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride has been met with silence “in favor of allowing space for hatred, bigotry, and a lack of education.”

She also said she faced unnecessary pushback from the board in ensuring menstrual products were supplied in school bathrooms, as required by state law.

“Thank you to the teachers who’ve been brave enough to speak with me, even when you’ve seen me being silenced and discredited,” Swiecicki said. “Congratulations are due to Board Member Sligar for bringing student voices to the table. You faced all the barriers I have and more in improving accountability, transparency and communication in this district.”