Sangamon Sun

Nora Peters, an adoptive parent in Lincoln who has raised three children with special needs, is running for a seat on the Lincoln Community High School District No. 404 Board of Education.

Peters told the Sangamon Sun that she decided to run after the needs of her two disabled children were not met by the school district. Due to inadequate accommodations, her children have been out of school for a year and a half. She said that she has exhausted all options when it comes to contacting politicians about seeking assistance.

Peters commented that her son and daughter were inappropriately removed from school after someone on social media said they had been exposed to COVID-19. She said that when they returned to school, both—who have feeding tubes—were denied lunch on separate occasions. In Peters' opinion, it was bullying and harassment.

“I am running because the current school board does not engage with the parents and the students,” she told the Sun on Monday. “There does seem to be a lot of secrecy. I don't know what about. They seem to want to exclude. I am a parent of special needs children. Currently, I have two that are in special ed and that department has just completely violated the rights of the special needs population. Myself and other parents in the community have been upset with that program and we have asked questions.” 

Peters said her purpose for running "is to put someone on the school board who will actually listen." 

At the school board meeting she attended last week, the superintendent told the board to "not engage when they're approached by." She assumed he meant parents, people and students.

“He said to refer them back to us,” she told the Sun. “Well, if he's the problem, I can't very well refer back to him because I'm [not] getting anywhere. And I have approached the local school board. They have refused to engage. They've refused to listen and they've refused to look at the evidence of discrimination.”

Peters also noted that she is not alone in struggling to get adequate schooling for her children. 

“There are several people that have pulled their kids at 18, their special needs kids at 18 because of the things going on at the high school, and some I actually know only a handful, but they're I know a few people that have let their kids drop out,” she said. 

Peters believes that being able to relate her story to the larger school community is important. 

“I think everybody should know their story and what's going on,” she said. “And it may be all innocent, but honestly, my children have suffered. They've gone without any academics for a year and a half plus, and it's just...I don't understand. I've got to know what's going on over there. So I'm willing to get in, find out, and help you, other parents in the community.” 

Peters is also opposed to inappropriate sexual education. She said that her older son began having behavioral issues after being exposed to sexual situations as a part of his classwork.

“My child doesn't need pornography,” she told the Sun. “You said he's mentally retarded, so bad that he's no more than three months old. Of course, that was wrong. But even if he was three years old, you don't need to show him homosexual acts. You don't need to show him how to do things to himself that are inappropriate. You don't. And all of a sudden, my kid's out and they start dropping his pants. There's something inappropriate in the school. Well, there's stuff going on that shouldn't. And the parents need to know that. All I can think is what are you hiding that is so awful?”

Peters and her adopted children were featured in an OSF Healthcare article, in which she shared her longtime dream of being able to "take care of children who aren’t loved.”

"A child should always be loved," she said in the article.

Originally from Creve Coeur, Peters resides in Lincoln. She graduated from East Peoria Community High School.

Lincoln Community High School District No. 404 oversees 831 students at one school—Lincoln Community High School. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics showed that the district employs 55 classroom teachers.