North Cook News

Glenbrook South community members are reacting to meeting notes the district released Aug. 9 in which a whistleblower alleged that former school principal Lauren Fagel objectified women and engaged in "inappropriate behaviors on an ongoing basis." 

Fagel resigned from her post July 6 and received $53,000 as well as health care coverage for the rest of 2021 from the district. 

The district's meeting notes were part of a 1,000-page document release in response to a Freedom of Information Act request for documents on the 49-year-old Fagel's resignation. The documents included accusations from the whistleblower. 

Some of the school district documents included group text messages between members of Glenbrook South’s Administrative Council in which Fagel warned against including opinions about the reopening plan in emails.

“After reading all the texts I think one of the key takeaways for me was that Lauren and her administrative accomplices continued to work together to protect themselves and further their own agendas rather than follow directions of the board, superintendent and state laws,” Glenview resident Glenn Farkas said during the Aug. 9 school board meeting about the text exchanges. 

The meeting notes came from an April 28 meeting, where the whistleblower was able to document the exchange. As part of the notes, the whistleblower expressed a level of emotional pain. 

“I find myself in tears in the car every morning and every day after work, I feel physically sick when I pull into the parking lot,” the whistleblower said, according to the notes. “ I avoid going out at lunch just so I don’t have to deal with the feeling I face when I pull in. I just can’t manage the emotions anymore — I think sharing openly will give me a sense of freedom and serve as a voice for everyone in the district that this information has impacted.”

In meetings of the Administrative Council, Fagel referred to a woman as “big boobs” the whistleblower said.

“It is/was a constant reference,” the notes said. “This is clear objectification, occurred (s) over the course of several years to a captive audience and said simply to be vindictive.”

The principal later used the reference at a booster club meeting, the whistleblower said, according to the notes.

“I can’t help but think that if she was a man this would be considered much more alarming," the whistleblower said. "However, as a woman, I find this behavior disgusting.”

The whistleblower also criticized Bradley Swanson, assistant superintendent for human resources, for allegedly ignoring Fagel’s “unprofessional behaviors including bullying, consistent use of profanity, suggestive sexual remarks and objectification of women.”

In April, Farkas complained that teachers' unions were “harassing and vilifying anybody who runs against the school board or against teachers' union-picked candidates,” Prairie State Wire reported. “They’re not only going after people going for the school boards they’re going after me, a private citizen, who’s lending his efforts just to help them any way he can to get on the ballot.”