Rockford School Board member resigns after video shows him swipe at teacher’s camera

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A Rockford School Board member has resigned after a video was posted of him striking a videographer’s camera Tuesday night outside of the district headquarters.

Michael Connor, who represents Subdistrict F, submitted his resignation Wednesday several hours after the video shot by Harlem High School history teacher Nick Stange was posted. Connor said he was resigning, in part, because he didn’t want to be a distraction to the board.

“It has been a privilege serving on the Rockford School Board; all the Board members are dedicated, hard-working and thoughtful. I have seen the District, Board and Administration make a lot of progress in my nearly 10 years on the board,” Connor wrote in his resignation letter. “Much work remains to be done, however. I must continue to focus on my health. Also, I do not want to be a distraction to the good work and continued progress in the District.”

The video shot by Stange, who works in the neighboring Harlem School District, shows Connor leaving the district’s administration building after Tuesday night’s board meeting. He waves at someone off camera while approaching Stange. He then took “a big swipe at the camera,” Stange told the Rock River Current.

“That’s literal assault. You cannot do that,” a woman off-camera says in the video.

Related: Rockford School Board called on for answers after video of Auburn student being slammed by officer

Connor tells Stange he has no business there.

“You’re trying to intimidate,” Connor says in the video. “That’s your whole point.”

Stange has taught for 18 years and is known for his work leading the Harlem Veterans Project, which guides students through documenting the stories of local men and women who served in the armed forces.

He attended the board meeting because he has been documenting the efforts of the May 30th Alliance, a group that has staged several protests and sit-ins in response to racism or instances it describes as police brutality.

“You have these individuals who have completely changed their lives to do what they think is in the best interest of the community, and I think they deserve to have their voices amplified,” Stange said of his efforts to document the group’s actions. “I just happen to be in a position where I can do some of that.”

The group’s latest focus has been on the actions of Rockford police officer Bradley Lauer, who was assigned as a school resource officer at Auburn High School a year ago when he slammed a freshman student to the ground. Video of that was made public in early October as the boy’s family prepared a federal lawsuit. The family’s attorney said the officer’s actions were excessive force and that the boy, Parris Moore, suffered a fractured skull and permanent brain damage affecting his memory and speech.

Related: Rockford photojournalist acquitted after arrest during 2020 protests

“If people are outraged by what they saw in my video, they should definitely go watch the Parris Moore video,” Stange said. “If they’re outraged by that, I would encourage them to come to the next school board meeting and express their concern to the school board.”

“At the end of the day, they need to be held accountable. They need to be providing answers and solutions to some of the problems that are going on.”

The confrontation with Connor happened after a tense meeting where multiple members of the May 30th Alliance were escorted out of the building for disrupting the board. One person was arrested.

Stange said he wasn’t familiar with Connor and hadn’t spoken to him before. He didn’t know who Connor was until after the confrontation.

“He just decided to approach me, slap the camera out of my hands, and then got in the face of my girlfriend,” Stange said.

Stange said he did not file a police report. Connor has not commented publicly on the incident.

Stange said the resignation is the bare minimum, but he’s frustrated that the board has still shown no willingness to explain what happened that led to Moore’s injury and what’s being done to prevent it from happening again. That’s why he thinks it’s important to keep up public pressure on the board.

“Without tension there’s no change,” Stange said. “People don’t just wake up one morning and change. They need something to force them to change.”

The board will now look for a candidate to fill Connor’s seat until the next election in April.

People who live in Subdistrict F can apply until Dec. 2. Interviews will be conducted during the Committee of the Whole meeting on Dec. 6 and an appointment will be made at the Dec. 13 meeting.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter @KevinMHaas.