NAACP chair tells Aurora East USD 131 board Black students face disproportionate discipline and low ACT proficiency

Tamar Oveje, chair of the NAACP DuPage County, told the Aurora East USD 131 board during public comment on Feb. 7 that district data in the school improvement plan show stark disparities in discipline, attendance, and college-readiness.

"Although our African American children make up 8% of the population, they carry 18% of the referrals," Oveje said. She cited 436 referrals at the high school, that ‘‘47 percent of the children were chronically absent’’ are African American, and that, she said, "In math, African American students are at a 3.7%. And in literacy, they are at 11.11% on the ACT scores." Oveje said the NAACP expects the district to deliver the systemic changes it promised in September 2025.

The comment followed the board’s regular opening and preceded superintendent updates. Oveje framed the figures as a warning that students do not feel welcomed and that disciplinary patterns and persistently low academic proficiency require district action.

Board members did not debate the figures during the public-comment segment. The district later presented school-improvement goals and programming plans during the meeting; officials said they are working through staffing, placement, and supports tied to program changes.

The board did not take formal action in response to Oveje’s remarks at the February meeting. The NAACP’s statements reference data in the district’s school improvement plan presented Jan. 20, 2026.