After facing a backlash from parents for a social media post following Charlie Kirk’s death, the president of the Algonquin-based Community Unit District 300 school board says she won’t apologize.

Dozens of parents turned out to Tuesday’s District 300 school board meeting to call for board President Nancy Zettler to step down. They said it was disturbing and insensitive for Zettler to say in a Sept. 10 Facebook post that her initial reaction to Kirk’s murder was karma.

Reading from a prepared statement, Zettler said she was sorry about the district having to spend time dealing with a “manufactured disruption” from “phony” groups that target others who don’t share their views.

“We have had these groups right here in our own backyard for years, and they, for years, have been busy attacking. ... Today is not new,” she said. “This is why I will not apologize for the post that I made to my personal Facebook page on Sept. 10.”

Zettler said her social media post was an expression of how she was processing news of Kirk’s death.

As part of the post, Zettler shared a message from a fellow Democrat that focused on a theme of empathy.

She wrote, “The first thing I thought when I heard this today was ‘karma, it’s a (expletive).’ Then I read this. The author, Qasim Rashid, says it best.”

While the message appeared on Zettler’s private Facebook page, screenshots of the post were circulated on other social media.

In the two weeks since Zettler’s post, there were protests outside district offices. The district also received more than 250 emails, 80 phone calls, and eight Freedom of Information requests related to the post, according to Darcy Kriha, an attorney representing the board.

School board members could censure Zettler or remove her as president. Both are legal options the board can take if it feels Zettler’s actions disrupted the district, Kriha said.

Neither option was on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting. But they could be brought up at the board’s next scheduled meeting in October.

“In my 14 years serving on this school board, I have never considered writing about another school board member and have never witnessed this kind of darkness around our board,” said board member Steve Fiorentino, who, in response to Zettler’s post, expressed his disappointment on social media. “This issue was different and became a public outcry due to her choice of words.”

Referring to guidance from the Illinois Association of School Boards, Fiorentino argued that Zettler violated her role as board president when she made the post.

“In my opinion, Mrs. Zettler’s actions and then her failure to apologize or show remorse placed her in direct opposition of board policy and the IASB code of conduct,” Fiorentino said.

Most of the nearly two dozen people who spoke during public comment were critical of Zettler, who twice threatened to shut down the meeting due to public outbursts.

“Rights do not absolve us of accountability,” said David Scarpino, a former District 300 school board member. “With leadership comes the expectation of sound judgment. When a board member speaks or takes to social media carelessly, especially on sensitive or divisive topics, the impact extends far beyond personal opinion.”

Scarpino said the “unnecessary controversy” has taken focus away from the administration’s role of educating children.

“Every day lost to distraction is a day stolen from our students’ future,” he said.

Most board members did not provide any indication of where they stood on the controversy, noting they were still processing the matter and what steps could be taken.

Christine Birkett, the board vice president, said she hopes trust can be restored with parents and the district can return its focus to educating children.

“This is a heavy situation that we’re finding ourselves in,” Birkett said.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20250924/news/i-will-not-apologize-district-300-school-board-president-defiant-amid-backlash-over-social-media/