BREAKING: Oswego School District 308 Board president resigns for ‘well-being of herself and her family’

Oswego School District 308 Board of Education President Donna Marino has resigned from the board, according to a statement issued Tuesday afternoon by the district.

Marino was first elected to a four-year term on the board last April and then was subsequently elected by her board colleagues as board president.

In the statement, Marino said her decision to leave the board was “very difficult” but “necessary for the well-being of herself and her family.”

According to the statement, “Marino’s leadership in areas of social-emotional support, student voice, equity and inclusion, and staff development propelled the district forward in these areas of focus.”

The district and board members express sincere gratitude to Marino for her service and leadership on the board, in the statement.

With Marino’s departure, Latonya Simelton, who was serving in the role of board vice president, will assume the president’s role.

Marino was not present at the Feb. 10 school board meeting, which was a raucous affair attended by more than 200 parents and students in the Oswego East High School performing arts center.

The people in the crowd demanded that the board take a vote on continuing the mandate requiring masks to be worn in school buildings, but no such vote was taken.

Oswego police officers were conspicuously present at the meeting.

The school board and administration on the stage were separated from the crowd by the first several rows of theater seats.

*Shaw Media reporter Mark Foster contributed to this story.