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Advocates have said Freeburg's mascot, the "Midgets鈥� to be derogatory, objectifying and dehumanizing. A bill proposed in the Illinois General Assembly would ban public schools from using derogatory names for people with disabilities as mascots.

Jason Cerrano got the idea for the SAM Control System about 15 years ago while working a house fire for the Pattonville Fire Protection District. The system is used in more than 120 fire departments in the U.S.

Freeburg has been the 鈥淢idgets鈥� for 90 years. Many people with dwarfism now consider the term a slur.

The Metro East school board's move is just the latest in a series of notable actions, including staff resignations, board infighting, lawsuits and court filings, a police investigation and heated debate.

Melanie Brink, who has led Freeburg鈥檚 elementary school district through two years of controversy and upheaval, is leaving to become superintendent of Belle Valley School District 119 in Belleville next year.

The post鈥檚 104-acre property in the rural Freeburg that has been plagued by squatting and criminal activity in recent years.

The Metro East board's action follows a similar move three months ago when it also voted to censure and remove for undisclosed reasons.

The past few years haven鈥檛 been kind to the 104-acre property in rural Freeburg. The Metro East American Legion post used to be one of the largest in southern Illinois 鈥� and the only one that operated a recreation area. But that's all changed.

The actions at Monday's board meeting follow several teachers speaking out against Freeberg board member Jayson Baker. In his defense, Baker said he is "proud to stand alone, even if it comes at a great personal cost."

The latest Illinois Report Card provides information about schools across southwestern Illinois. Here鈥檚 how metro-east high schools fared in the 2022-23 report.