Lake County Gazette

Something deeply troubling is happening in Antioch School District 117, and parents cannot afford to ignore it. One of our elected school board members, Sue Dickson, recently shared a post online that openly labeled white conservative families as “trash.”

The image she chose to amplify came from a controversial New York City campaign featuring the words “Keep NYC Trash Free.” These ads depicted individuals — particularly white conservatives dressed in ways associated with family values, faith, and traditional lifestyles — as literal garbage.

Let that sink in: a sitting Antioch school board member reposted content that reduces white conservative families to “trash.”

Antioch 117 board member Sue Dickson shared this image from the “Keep NYC Trash Free” campaign, widely seen as depicting conservative white families as trash—a move critics call deeply disrespectful to the community. | Michael Scornavacco

This is not simply a case of poor taste on social media. It is an alarming look into the mindset of someone who has power over the education and environment of our children. School board members are entrusted with guiding curriculum, setting standards, and ensuring that all students and families are respected. By promoting dehumanizing rhetoric, Dickson has demonstrated the exact opposite of respect. She has shown contempt.

A Pattern of Behavior

This is not an isolated incident. Sue Dickson has already built a reputation for attacking and shaming parents in our community. When families have raised legitimate concerns about school direction, she has been quick to dismiss and ridicule rather than listen. Now, by reposting images that brand white conservative families as “trash,” she reinforces the idea that those who disagree with her do not even deserve dignity.

How can a person with this attitude be trusted to make fair decisions for our schools? How can parents feel confident that she values the input of all families, not just those who share her worldview?

The Community She Represents

Antioch is not New York City. Ours is a small-town community built on family values, hard work, and respect for neighbors. Most families in District 117 are conservative, patriotic, and deeply invested in the well-being of their children. Parents sacrifice time and money to support schools, attend events, and volunteer in countless ways. They deserve a school board that honors their involvement, not one that mocks them online and reposts material portraying them as literal garbage.

Instead of rising to meet the standards of our community, Dickson has imported the politics of contempt. She has brought big-city hatred into a family-oriented district and made a mockery of her position by reducing conservative parents and children to “trash.”

Why It Matters

Some might be tempted to brush this off as just another case of social media gone too far. That would be a mistake. Words and images matter, especially when they come from those in leadership. School board members set the tone for how schools interact with parents. They influence how teachers and administrators view the families they serve.

When a board member shows open hostility and dehumanization toward white conservative families, it erodes trust. It tells parents that their values are not welcome, their voices are not respected, and their concerns will be met with scorn. This is not just offensive, it is dangerous. It undermines the relationship between schools and families at the very moment when cooperation is most needed.

Accountability Is Needed

Parents and taxpayers have every right to demand better. If Sue Dickson believes it is acceptable to label white conservative families as “trash,” then she has no place sitting on the Antioch school board. Elected officials do not get a free pass to demean the very people they are supposed to represent.

This is not about partisan politics. It is about decency. It is about holding leaders accountable when they fail to live up to the standards of respect and fairness that every parent has a right to expect.

District 117 deserves leaders who unite the community, not divide it. Leaders who respect families, not mock them. Leaders who take their responsibility seriously, not those who treat it like a platform to push hatred.

Sue Dickson’s actions speak louder than her title. She has shown us who she is, and it is time for Antioch families to decide whether that is the kind of leadership we will tolerate.

It Is Time for Her to Step Down

The message is clear. For the good of the district, for the protection of our children, and for the unity of our community, Sue Dickson should resign her seat on the Antioch school board. By stepping down, she can begin to repair the damage she has done and allow someone with the integrity and respect our families deserve to take her place.

Antioch families must not stay silent. Demand accountability. Demand respect. Demand leadership worthy of our children.

– Michael Scornavacco is the Republican Committeeman for Antioch District 6