Dear Mr. Robert Wright,

Secretary of the Park Ridge Board of Education I write today to resign my position as Trustee of the Park Ridge Board of Education, immensely grateful to God for the opportunity to serve our borough, a wonderful community in the greatest country on Earth.

My sincerest thanks are to the taxpayers of Park Ridge, hard-working families who entrusted me with the oversight of the schools that their children attend. Without their labor, thrift, and entrepreneurial spirit, not a single pupil could be enriched by our school district. Within this group of exceptional people, I recognize my supporters, those who remained firmly by my side through a grueling two years. I must also pay tribute to the ultimate sacrifice made by the young veterans of the US Armed Forces, whose spilled blood purchased my right to vote and serve the people at just 18 years old through the 1971 passage of the Twenty-sixth Amendment.

Park Ridge is a borough of extraordinary sons — Jedh Barker’s selflessness saw him lay down his life to save his fellow Marines, Richard Nixon’s statesmanship saw him gracefully navigate a scandal that claimed his presidency, and James Gandolfini’s talent impassioned audiences, transformed by the authenticity of his roles. Reflecting on the contributions of these legendary community members, I can only hope that they are looking down proudly on the struggle I have waged to make our education system work for Park Ridge families. Although I carry their torch in a modest office, the flame I kindle has enlightened so many to the improvements our school district needs, and has caused many to be implemented.

Throughout my tenure, my most prized accomplishment is my successful effort to require the Park Ridge School District to comply with Title IX of the Higher Education Act, saving us $100,000 annually in federal funding and ensuring every girl in our schools can excel in the sport they love participating in. Few policymakers in America can say they simultaneously stood with a church facing death threats over their pride flag and valiantly fought for parental transparency in curriculum content, but such is the credo I live by: in a world full of electeds who serve as thermometers of public opinion, strive to be the thermostat, setting the temperature for the just world you desire to see. To that end, my last two policies introduced for adoption aim to curtail opioid overdose and suicide within our schools, plagues that have claimed the lives of Park Ridgers and will soon be extinguished in our borough with dynamic, evidence-based approaches.

My future goals include graduating from Vanderbilt University, furthering my research into improving our prison system, and continuing to volunteer to support those in mental health crises. This is not Tschau, merely Auf Wiedersehen, in my advocacy for our community through monumental advancements in policy, psychology, and pedagogy.

Sincerely,

Robert AC Fisher