The Rockford Public Schools Board of Education held a special meeting Tuesday morning, with one item on the agenda listed as “trustee complaint.”
A resolution read at the meeting stated that last month the board was informed a district employee received an email from Trustee Dr. Barbara Helms questioning whether that employee had an association with the Muslim Brotherhood.
Helms admitted sending the email which read: ”Do you have any association with the muslin brotherhood association (sic). Asking for a friend.”
The board found the email included offensive, unwelcome and race-based language in violation of the district’s harassment policies.
The resolution stated the comments were discriminatory, improper and do not reflect the views of the full board, which censured Helms.
The district’s website shows Helms was elected in 2023 to a term that expires this year.
Rockford’s next scheduled board meeting is September 14th.
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