Lake County Gazette

A slate of Lake Forest District 115 school board candidates urged their opponents to reject a donation from one of their supporters after she allegedly made a crude post to her Facebook page blasting area parents in favor of schools reopening.

"Our opponents' largest donor this year is Ginger Duer," members of the Let's Do Better For District 115 said in a statement. "Ms. Duer — or Ginger Rae as she goes by on Facebook — posted the following appalling screed about Lake Forest parents and their children."

In the alleged post from Duer, parents in favor of reopening schools are admonished: "You're all real s***ty parents who can't stand your own mediocre crotchfruit, who thanks to your parenting are also insufferable a**wipes." The post was allegedly made in December. 

Duer, who is president and founder of Delta Valley Logistics, a company that grows industrial hemp in Illinois, California and Ontario, made a $4,000 contribution to the Right Track/Caucus, records from the Illinois State Board of Elections show.

"Now, we do not believe that our Right Track/Caucus opponents share these vile feelings, but they are tainted if they do not reject this donation," the Let's Do Better slate of Amy Marsch, Robert "Ted" Moorman, Joanna Marshall and Jeffrey Giannelli said in the release. "We call on them to do the decent thing and immediately donate the full $4,000 to a local student charity like CROYA."

Early voting is open Monday through Saturday, beginning this week at Lake Forest Village Hall.

All across Illinois, the debate over schools reopening for full-in person learning has intensified in recent weeks as many districts remain closed or operate using a hybrid model.

Parents and supporters recently gathered in Naperville for a rally demanding a return to full in-person learning.

In Lake County earlier this year, a bomb threat was made over social media after parents gathered outside a school board meeting where members were debating the issue in Township High School District 113.