Board of Education
WATCH THE JAN. 18 REGULAR MEETING: The open session of the Board of Education's Jan. 18 regular meeting was livestreamed and recorded. Use this link to watch:
Only regular meetings of the Board of Education are livestreamed and recorded.
Elmwood Park Community Unit School District 401 is governed by a seven-member elected Board of Education. The current members of the District 401 Board of Education are:
- Mr. Frank J. Parisi | President
- Mr. Peter A. Volpe | Vice President
- Mrs. Susan S. Capraro | Secretary
- Mrs. Mary Bruscato
- Mr. Timothy P. Loughnane
- Mrs. Jennifer P. Ranallo
- Mr. Jonathan M. Rivera
All Board-approved policies are contained in the District Policy Manual, which is available online in a fully searchable format.
Next Meeting: Feb. 1, 2023 | COW Meeting
A meeting of the District 401 Board of Education's Committee of the Whole (COW) will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, at Elmwood Park High School, 8201 W. Fullerton Ave., Elmwood Park. Location details will be posted. The open session will begin at 6: 30 p.m.
- Notice | Feb. 1 COW Meeting | PDF — to be posted
- Agenda | Feb. 1 COW Meeting | Board Docs — to be posted
- Agenda | Feb. 1 COW Meeting | PDF — to be posted
For links to all required public information related to the Board's complete schedule of 2022-23 meetings, please visit our 2022-23 Notices, Agendas, Minutes page.
Public Participation
Comments or questions should be made in person. Individuals who would like to address the Board should follow the guidelines described on our Public Participation page.
Livestreams & Recordings of Board Meetings
The public sessions of 2022-23 Board of Education regular meetings will be livestreamed on District 401's YouTube channel.
Links to video recordings of these meetings will be posted on the following page:
Committee of the Whole (COW) meetings are longer livestreamed or recorded.
Meeting Times & Places
Unless otherwise noted, all Board meetings are held at Elmwood Park High School.*
- Regular meetings take place monthly every third Wednesday, August through June.
- Open sessions of regular meetings start at 7 p.m. in the EPHS auditorium.
- Executive (closed) sessions of regular meetings begin at 6 p.m. in Board Conference Room 192 at EPHS.
- Committee of the Whole (COW) meetings take place monthly every first Wednesday, August through June.
- COW meetings start at 6:30 p.m. at EPHS (room TBA).
- Open sessions of regular meetings are livestreamed and recorded.
- COW meetings are no longer livestreamed or recorded.
Please note that the locations of Board of Education meetings are subject to change. Any changes will be posted to this page.
*Some Committee of the Whole (COW) meetings will be held at other D401 schools. Notice will be given.
To Learn More About the Board
For more information about the responsibilities, procedures and operations of the D401 Board of Education, please see the sections below.
To communicate with the entire Board, please use this email link:
Individuals may also submit questions or communications for the Board's consideration to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Leah Gauthier. She can be reached by email at this address.
The Board's powers and duties include the authority to adopt, enforce and monitor all policies for the management and governance of District 401's schools.
A more detailed listing of Board powers and duties can be found in Section 2:20 of the District Policy Manual.
Official action by the Board may only occur at a duly called and legally conducted meeting at which a quorum is physically present. See Section
As stated in the Board member oath of office prescribed by the Illinois School Code, a Board member has no legal authority as an individual.
The District 401 Board of Education meets regularly once a month during the school year from August to June.
Regular meetings typically occur on the third Wednesday of each month. Unless otherwise noted, the public portion of each regular meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of Elmwood Park High School. Executive sessions begin at 6 p.m. in Room 192 at EPHS and are closed to the public.
Meetings of the Board's Committee of the Whole (COW) start at 6:30 p.m. and are held at the high school, unless otherwise noted. COW meetings typically take place on the first Wednesday of each month from August to June.
Meeting notices, agendas and minutes are publicized as required by Illinois law and District 401 policy. Please note that a COW meeting may sometimes be changed to a "Special Board Meeting."
The District 401 Board of Education is scheduled to hold the following regular meetings during the 2022-23 school year:
- Wednesday, August 17, 2022
- Wednesday, September 21, 2022
- Wednesday, October 19, 2022
- Wednesday, November 16, 2022
- Wednesday, December 21, 2022
- Wednesday, January 18, 2023
- Wednesday, February 15, 2023
- Wednesday, March 15, 2023
- Wednesday, April 19, 2023
- Wednesday, May 10, 2023*
- Wednesday, June 21, 2023
*PLEASE NOTE: The May 2023 regular meeting will be held on the second Wednesday of the month due to the 2023 election timeline.
Unless otherwise noted, open sessions of regular meetings start at 7 p.m. and are held in the auditorium of Elmwood Park High School. Executive sessions begin at 6 p.m. in Room 192 and are closed to the public. Notice will be given if meeting locations are changed.
The open sessions of regular meetings are livestreamed and recorded.
The District 401 Board of Education's Committee of the Whole (COW) is scheduled to hold the following meetings during the 2022-23 school year:
- Wednesday, August 3, 2022
- Wednesday, September 7, 2022
- Wednesday, October 5, 2022
- Wednesday, November 2, 2022
- Wednesday, December 7, 2022
- Wednesday, January 11, 2023*
- Wednesday, February 1, 2023
- Wednesday, March 1, 2023
- Wednesday, April 5, 2023
- Wednesday, May 3, 2023
- Wednesday, June 7, 2023
*PLEASE NOTE: The January 2023 regular meeting will be held on the second Wednesday of the month due to winter break.
Unless otherwise noted, the public portions of COW meetings start at 6:30 p.m. and are at Elmwood Park High School (room TBA). Notice will be given of location changes.
Please note that COW meetings are no longer livestreamed or recorded.
To learn more about the District 401 Board of Education, including its procedures, policies and long-range plans, we invite you to visit the pages listed below.