Around the country, conservative groups have harnessed parental angst to gain seats on school boards. Liberals see a threat to public education and have scrambled to keep up.
With few exceptions, candidate slates that pushed for "parental rights" and leaned into culture war issues failed to make waves Tuesday night in politically charged races for suburban school boards.
While some Lake County districts lacked enough candidates to fill all their open school board seats, campaign talking points in some races stemmed from fiercely raging national debates over books and sexual education, which followed sharp disagreement over masking requirements and school reopenings during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The results of the Barrington 220 school board race were as divisive as the campaign. Two incumbents appear to have held onto their seats, while none of the candidates from the slate endorsed by ACTION Pac won spots on the school board.