"Endless broken promises"
A Illinois teen pleads with her school board to stop making excuses and see the impact of their decisions on kids
Alyssa Casey, a sophomore at Barrington High School in northwest suburban Chicago, gave a powerful speech at last night’s District 220 Board of Education meeting.
Alyssa’s words — and the Board’s attempt to disallow another commenter from ceding her time to Alyssa — speak for themselves.
Video below, followed by transcription.
Hello All. My name is Alyssa Casey and I'm a sophomore at Barrington.
Where do I even begin?
This is Year 2. [breaks down sobbing] My and countless others’ words have gone unheard for two years. Our cries for help have gone unseen.
Expressing my opinions and facts are shut down my teachers. I'm harassed over social media verbally, and now physically, at school.
And for what?
Expressing my opinion and stating facts that contradict society’s new disturbing norm.
I've been told that I'm lying about my own mental health. Yesterday, after saying in children, suicide rates have increased by 23% over the past two years, I was told to kill myself by a girl that preaches “Healthcare is a human right for all.” Ironic.
But besides all the hatred I've experienced all these two years, I’ve remained “resilient” - one of your favorite words.
13 in 1 million is the statistic for Covid deaths in children.
13 in 1 million, and we are on Year 2.
I can speak for all students, no matter their opinion, when I say Covid has completely stripped us of our childhood.
I just turned fourteen when I was sent home for a year.
I can drive a car by myself now.
We walk around expressionless all day and are scolded for not putting a piece of fabric over our faces every day, with most students having it below their nose or mouth.
What is the goal?
And my gosh, I cannot even imagine how these innocent Pre-K to 5th graders feel when they don't even understand what's happening to them, being yelled at and muzzled each day, and they are completely defenseless.
I only have two minutes, but I could talk for hours about everything wrong with the way children are being treated.
This is abuse.
For two years with no end.
I’ve kept saying two years because it's so disturbing to comprehend.
One-eighth of my life has been evaporated. Two-fifths of a 10-year-old’s and one-half of a 4-year-old’s.
Southern Illinois has been unmasked since September, but Northern Illinois is still fighting to end.
It has been fighting since October and it's been postponed. Delay, delay, delay. What is the end goal?
[Board Member interrupts because 2-minute allowance expired. Elissa says someone else can continue her speech. Another commenter insists on ceding her time to Elissa. Board tries to deny, but time is ceded and Elissa continues.]
Southern Illinois has been unmasked since September, but Northern Illinois is still fighting for our freedom, and it has been postponed since October.
Do you really not see the impacts of your actions?
Do you think it's normal for a child to come home crying, because they just can't handle this anymore?
Are you happy with yourselves? Well, you should all be ASHAMED of yourselves.
And you are failing every child in this state.
Months on end, and now years. The state of Illinois has thoroughly exhausted every single child that lives here. Endless broken promises. And there are still people that think this is normal.
I can speak today for all 8,557 students in District 220, for every other child in this nation, and for those who aren't able to express their thoughts, and ESPECIALLY for every single child that isn't here today because they have taken their own life due to careless heartless, unscientific. and unreasonable actions.
Countries are ending mandates, and they are fine.
Southern Illinois ended, and they’re also fine.
It has been 689 days since I've had a normal school day, in 8th grade.
It has been 689 days of waiting helplessly, hoping for someone to do something.
There is NO excuse anymore.
There isn't a single excuse for why children are on their knees, pleading and begging just to see another smile, to have lunch your friends, and to not feel like there's NO REASON TO GO ON.
This is DISGUISTING.
Do better for America's future: America's children.
Thank you.
Barrington 220 Board of Education
Top Row: Sandra Ficke-Bradford, Leah Collister-Lazzari, Barry Altshuler | Bottom Row: Angela Wilcox, Erin Chan Ding, Katie Karam, Steve Wang