improper investigation, civil rights violations

I am from Illinois and we are having the battle of a lifetime with the school district. It started with sexual misconduct of a school employee off of school grounds. Went to the school and the board about it, they told me that they would not do anything about it. I could understand that because it was not on school grounds and it was not a school sanctioned activity. I did not like it but that is how the law is here. What I objected to was the harassment my daughter had to endure because I went to the school about this employees actions. This employee, her entire family and her daughter made my daughters life a living hell. The two girls are in the same grade (7th). After complaining in writing about the harassment of my daughter and requesting that they do a assmebly on how bullying and harassment are not tolerated, the school refused to act on any of the charges that were in writing and by me personally regarding other harassment that occured after the letter. I went to the board and was stonewalled. When I asked if they did an investigation they said yes, I had to then say "well what is the outcome". They refused to say anything. I asked them about the assembly and they said that "they were working on it" this is four weeks after I requested it and gave them information on how other schools handled their bully problems in hopes that it would end the harassment of my daughter. I also asked about why so many kids leave this school and go to private school or are home schooled, informing them of my knowledge that this school has a large history of not dealing with harassment both from kids and teachers. They claim no knowledge but how can that be when there were police reports filed? The Board president then said "well we dont know everything that goes on in the school". Outraged I told them that it was their job to know these things. This was said in executive session. When open session resumed another parent asked the board why they had already made up there mind regarding an incident with his son without hearing there side of the story. The board President then said "well we are in constant contact with the school" My hand shot up and I called her on the lie she told me. Needless to say she told me that we were not going to back track to something that was discussed in executive session. But she was allowing this man to do the same. Before I left the meeting I told them that I was going to find out who what where when and why and bring it to the publics attention because they had a right to know what was going on in this school. That is exactly what I did, I put a sign in my front yard asking if anyone had a problem with the school district to call me. I got over 50 calls. I had opened up a huge can of worms. There were reports of teachers hitting students and the school was aware of it for over 15 years and he is still a teacher there. Students forced to eat on the bathroom floor for discipline, verbally degraded by teachers ect. ect. The list goes on and on. I then was on the news regarding this and that got more responses, one of them was from a man who went to the board 4 years ago to report the teacher hitting students. The board denied any knowledge of anything of the sort. On the day of the next board meeting all three T.V. stations reported on the story and said that they were going to cover the story of the board meeting I encouraged all of the parents to come. I also recieved a "a concerned parent letter" totally slandering me, it was sent to me by accident or was it? The board meeting was a interesting event, the PTO had arranged "I support our school" buttons made. I read my statement of they things I had found out and re addressed my complaint that the school had done nothing to deter harassment of our daughter (in between the 2 board meetings they did finally do the assembly, 2 days after the news was at their door, but not 5 min after that assembly our daughter was harassed yet again and nothing was done about it so we yanked her from the school and enrolled her in private school, we had to sell my horse and trailer to do so.) Other parents got up and made there complaints and some parents who moved out of the district because of problems came and told their stories. Then there was the "I support our school" people who got up and pretty much slammed me for protesting how this school is run, I thought to myself, everyone is intitled to their opinion. The board insisted that they were going to investigate everything. Two days after this meeting a letter to the editor caught my eye. Another slander fest signed by 52 other parents. I called the newspaper and got a copy of the list of names, one caught my eye, the wife of a board member and the president of the parent teacher organization. Conflict of interest? One week after the board meeting I contacted the board because they had not contacted me to get my information so that they could do a proper investigation. They had after all requested that we not use names in the meeting. The speech I gave was in writing and they all had a copy of it even their lawyer who decided he had better be there. I then recieved an e-mail from the board president saying that everything had to be in writing and it had to come from the complaining parent. DUH what am I? Come to find out not everyone had to do that just me. HMMM discrimination maybe? The board contacted some of the parents that complained at the board meeting and did interviews with them, they never put there complaint in writing and they told the board that they needed to contact me because I had a lot of information but the said that they would not. As a result of everything our house had been vandilized, crank calls, and now a video camera is set up in my living room to deter any more retaliation for bringing the truth out. Anyone got any Ideas of how this should end?
Thanks, sorry its long but there are a lot of details more than what is already here.
Kathy

The school is not required to share with you the results of a disciplinary problem with an employee, who has privacy protections.

That matter would be discussed during executive session under the exception that allows a closed meeting to deal with "personnel matters."

As far as the slander/libel issues, you might have a private cause of action against those folks who committed slander/libel.

I would suggest a visit to an attorney in your state who knows something about that area of law.

Good luck to you.