History of the Heartland Statement
History of the Heartland is a not-for-profit organization and has been mentioned by the public after the July 12, 2022, School Board meeting. During that meeting History of the Heartland Founder, Ayn Owens and Board Chairman Bret Robertson were in attendance. Mr. Robertson was there to speak during public comments to advocate for reuse of the former Woodrow Wilson school site instead of building on Lincoln Park. Miss Owens was there as an observer and was live-streaming on the organization’s social media page so followers could hear citizen comments. Other public meetings have been shown on the page as well.
After over thirty minutes of broadcasting live, Miss Owens was approached by a DPS 61 security guard and told she was not allowed to video. She asked, why? He said, “people in this room did not sign anything saying you could show them, and they might not like it.” Although she knew the order was unlawful, she abided so as not to create a disruption of the citizen presentations. Board member Lewis and the DPS attorney addressed the incident afterwards and said video is allowed. Miss Owens has since been approached by many people and organizations to file against District 61 for an Open Meetings Act Violation.
After review of the situation, Miss Owens states the following:
“We could all spend our time and energy on personal attacks, agendas and minor fines or we could continue the quest for doing the right thing for our community, neighborhoods and the students of Decatur Public School District 61. Unfortunately, these continual missteps by our governing bodies continue to prevent trust, accuracy, and transparency within Decatur as a whole.”
“One of the reasons we created History of the Heartland was to offer positive solutions and give voice to our historic features including our parks,” said Miss Owens.
Cultural change is needed within many of our local public institutions to abide with a spirit of transparency. Better communication is desperately needed within our community to address the concerns of our public. In line with asking for better transparency one change should be proper Code of Conduct rules visibly placed in all board room and open meeting locations. These should include what the public is allowed, including recordings, speaking time limits, sign up requirements to speak, etc. It should also include what the public can expect from the board. This signage could be a visible reminder to staff and the general public of not only the legal rules, but of the atmosphere the boards are trying to create with the public. Of course, much more than this must be done if a culture of transparency is to be created. But this would be a positive step so citizens would know the Open Meeting Rules and that they apply to equally to all.
For More Information: Ayn Owens
(217) 791-1385
aynproductions@yahoo.com
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