Carolyn Waibel's AC unit, taken after she claimed harassers damaged it. Also included is a photo of one of the dead rodents that was left in her driveway. Carolyn Waibel.
After months of harassment, an Illinois school board member has resigned.
Carolyn Waibel said that someone had trespassed upon her property and vandalized the home.
She believes that her inability to accept extremism made it a target for angry members of the community.
Carolyn Waibel didn't hesitate when the infuriating emails started arriving in her inbox in the summer.
In recent months, unpleasant feedback has been "par for the program" for local school board officials. Members of the St. Charles Schools Board in St. Charles (Illinois) discovered that they are not exempted from such displays of anger.
Waibel explained to Insider that parents' concerns about remote learning, critical race theory and masking in schools dominated community school boards meetings and message boards for several months during the pandemic.
Waibel stated that the board was still receiving emails from ominous messages. One message sent to them by Waibel, which Waibel claimed told members: "Your days were numbered." She reported the threats to the local authorities and continued her job.
According to the Illinois mother, she has been subject to social media attacks, Hitler comparisons, publishing her personal information, vandalism at home, including a broken AC unit and numerous dead rodents on her property. All the while she continued to serve her community.
Waibel thought that the dead chipmunk, dead rat and dead mouse appeared in her driveway within a week. But then she realized it was likely that the culprit cat had been there. The rodents disappeared after Waibel adjusted her home security camera to catch the culprit.
Waibel claimed that she heard someone enter her home while she was at work this fall. She discovered that her garage fridge and freezer were unplugged.
Waibel reported Waibel's trespassing to the police, as she did with AC vandalism and online harassment. Waibel claims that she was informed by Waibel that the incidents would not be prosecuted because of her position as an elected official.
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Insider reached out to the St. Charles Police Department for comment but they did not immediately reply.
Waibel explained to Insider that terrorizing events are meant to make you afraid of leaving your home. You are afraid to volunteer to help the children and their community.
Waibel reached out to her fellow board members to request protective measures, including a no-trespassing order to community members who are particularly aggressive. Waibel stated that the board rejected her request.
The Daily Herald reported that Waibel criticised the district's failure to protect members of the school board at her last school board meeting.
During the meeting, she stated that "this board and this area have not protected their own." "I demand immediate action. There are many boards in the state that are capable of taking care of their people. This board is not one. It's a shame that I am on it.
Later in the night, she resigned.
She told Insider that she had to prioritize the safety of her family and herself.
Insider reached out to the St. Charles School Board but they did not respond immediately.
Waibel is the latest victim in the new culture war. It is being waged at explosive school board meetings all across the country. There, passionate parents debate the merits proven COVID-19 mitigation techniques, such as vaccines and masks, as well other hot-button topics, like critical race theory or mental health resources.
The former two-term member of the school board stated that "somewhere along the way we've lost civility and professionalism to convey our unhappiness in parent advocates."
Waibel was elected her first term in 2017. She was an ideological moderate and worked with both political parties to foster a cooperative environment and address the problems facing the district's nearly 13,000 students.
Waibel stated that even though COVID-19 was struck in the early 2020s, the board kept parents informed and dealt with pandemic-related issues.
However, students' return to school this year coincided with Waibel's second term. This led to growing discontent within the community. Waibel stated that a small number of parents became more vocal as the school year progressed, particularly since masking in schools became a contentious topic.
Illinois implemented a statewide mask law in August for all K-12 public and private schools. This made it easy for school boards to make decisions about the matter.
Waibel stated that the St. Charles School Board had agreed to follow the executive order of the governor.
Waibel stated that the requirement was not enough to stop some parents from venting their frustrations at school board members. Waibel believes that her harassers are mostly community members and are being supported by a larger, statewide parent's rights organization that is focused on "protecting liberty."
Although she was not the only one who experienced harassment in recent months she claimed that she felt the most aggravating.
Waibel stated, "I'm middle." "It bothers people that i'm not extreme. These people want to polarize our community.
After what she called months of in-person intimidation and online attacks, she finally reached her breaking point.
She said, "That's their goal." "Their goal" is to get people to resign.
Waibel stated that it was difficult for her to make the decision because she knew her departure would be celebrated the same way her expulsion was. Waibel is afraid that one of her harassers might take her place on the board.
Waibel believes that her experience is indicative of larger problems school boards across the nation are confronting as incidents of violence and harassment become more commonplace within a more polarized society.
She stated that boards feel, in general, that they cannot take action as it would infringe upon First Amendment rights.
She added, "But if so, people who are interested in doing altruistic work won't be running for these positions anymore."
Waibel stated that she will continue to work with local authorities to ensure her safety. She has also spoken to local politicians to discuss possible legislation to safeguard officials at the local level.
Business Insider has the original article.
