Only Person Banned From Lyons Township High Public Comments

LA GRANGE, IL – Justice resident William See has an unusual distinction: After 3½ years, he remains the only person banned from public comments at Lyons Township High School board meetings.

In December 2021, See labeled board members "bobbleheads" for following the state's mask mandate. He even presented bobbleheads to make his point.

He was warned to stop the name-calling, but he continued calling board members bobbleheads. Superintendent Brian Waterman then threatened See with a trespassing charge. A La Grange police officer escorted See out of the meeting.

A day later, Waterman sent See a letter saying that he had violated policies with his "personally disparaging" comments.

The superintendent said See was prohibited from contacting any Lyons Township employees or attending any events, including board meetings. He can only enter school property with the superintendent's prior approval.

Otherwise, Waterman warned, See would be arrested for trespassing.

The December 2021 session was not the only time that See insulted the board.

Two months earlier, See focused on the LGBT community by saying the school wants students to get involved in "transgenderism." He then criticized the school for holding a book discussion on "Queer, There and Everywhere" by Sarah Prager.

"This stuff is sick and sad. These people are the worst people in the world," See said, referring to the school board. "They are worse than pedophiles because they are screwing with your kids' brains."

After the meeting, the school issued a statement condemning the comments, calling them "bigoted."

In 2022, Patch looked at the free speech implications of the school's ban on See. First Amendment lawyers say the government cannot regulate the content of speech.

In response to a Patch inquiry this week, John Kraft of the Edgar County Watchdogs questioned the high school's action.

"They cannot ban him from meetings because of his public comment, as long as the comments are not 'fighting words' – which, from the (Patch) article, they are clearly not fighting words," Kraft said in an email.

But Kraft said See must take Waterman's letter to court to get it overturned. He said most school boards have a method of appealing a ban.

A school spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday that See is the only person barred from public comment sessions.

Patch left a message for comment with See on Tuesday.

After the December 2021 incident, See filed a complaint against how the police handled him, but the police chief determined the grievance was unfounded.