When District 23’s Community Education Council met in May, members felt they were taking a stance that was both necessary and perilous.

The panel — volunteer parents and community leaders dedicated to supporting local schools — was voting on a resolution declaring “No Confidence” in D23 Superintendent Dr. Khalek Kirkland and calling for his removal.

“It feels like a dictatorship that he’s running,” said CEC23 member Stefanie, who asked to be identified by first name only, “like he sees us as beneath him, and he’s a superintendent, so you can do whatever you want, and that’s not how it go. He don’t really care about District 23.”

The council began drafting the resolution in January. As revisions were made and evidence gathered, members became concerned about retaliation. By the May vote,

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