4 Vie For 3 Seats On Palos Dist. 118 School Board: Election 2023

PALOS PARK, IL — Four candidates running for three open seats on the Palos Dist. 118 school board in the April 4 consolidated election. Two candidates out of four responded to the Patch candidate questionnaire.

Challengers Suzan Atallah and Daniel Cox, and two incumbents, Pamela M. Paris and Michael Pizur are running for the board.

Atallah lives in Orland Park with her husband, Malak Jaber, and their two children. Her 5-year-old will enter Palos West kindergarten this fall. She is an English/EL Teacher at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School. Racial equality is at the forefront of Atallah’s platform.

“Recognizing and respecting marginalized communities is a necessity and a work in progress,” Atallah said in her Patch candidate questionnaire. “If we are not striving to make ourselves better, we are doing a disservice to our community. Our community is always changing, and we need to be mindful of these changes. Students’ social, academic, and emotional constructs are related to the level of respect they feel in their environment.”

If elected to the school board, Atallah wants to start a committee to explore full-day kindergarten as an option in D118 schools.

“I would create a committee dedicated to having open dialogue about the program. Many community members also expressed concerns about how neighboring districts have taken a day off for “Eid” but their children in the same household who attend Dist. 118 schools are still in attendance. I will make it a goal of mine to look into this particular issue because equity is necessary,” Atallah said.

Dan Cox and his wife reside in Palos Park and are the parents of four boys, two of whom are currently attending Dist. 118 schools. His wife, Andrea, and her mother, are both products of Dist. 118 schools.

He is a software developer for Allstate Insurance; prior to that, he was a sales associate for Sherwin-Williams. Cox views the increasing student/teacher ratio for incoming first grade classes as one of the district’s most pressing needs.

“The incredible work that has been done by our district for generations has attracted new residents into the area, therefore increasing the number of students in each class,” Cox said in his Patch candidate questionnaire. “Higher class sizes have a negative effect on students’ learning experience. The board should ensure teacher to student ratios remain suitable for optimal learning and support the current staff to keep retention levels high and retain the great staff that we have. I intend to advocate for hiring more educators and staff to keep up with the demand of our district.”

Cox believes that “sex education is health education and should absolutely be taught in schools.”

“Everyone has a body, and it's crucial for them to learn about it. Palos 118 has opted out of the suggested Illinois Sex Ed curriculum,” he continued. “Palos 118 covers a very wide range of grades and it is important for the district to tailor the content to the appropriate levels for the students' age group for all topics including genders, sexual orientations, and relationship types.”

Both challengers believe the board needs to be mindful of taxpayer dollars and allocate funds appropriately.

The 2023 consolidated election is Tuesday, April 4. More storms and severe weather are possible later in the day, so you may want to head out early. As of Sunday, 798 people from the Palos area have voted early at the Palos Heights Rec Center. You can find your ballot and polling place on the Cook County Clerk website.