Kevin McDermott was one of two Proviso School Board members to be injured in a food fight at the Aug. 9 board meeting, according to police reports.

A food fight between school board members at Proviso Math and Science Academy Aug. 9 ended up with battery allegations, a 73-year-old woman with a sprained shoulder and a male board member with a bloody lip, his glasses knocked to the floor.

According to reports filed with the Village of Forest Park police, board members Theresa Kelly, 73, and Kevin McDermott, 61, both suffered minor injuries in a scuffle after exchanging words during the board meeting. The two former board allies have developed bad blood after McDermott helped orchestrate a coup that removed Kelly from the office of board president last spring.

It started with a fight over chicken strip leftovers from Poor Boy Subs in the conference room after a Proviso Township High School District 209 meeting around 10:45 p.m. The school is located at 8601 W. Roosevelt Road, in Forest Park.

According to police reports, McDermott grabbed two containers of leftovers and Kelly was reaching for the third, when McDermott allegedly tried to snatch it from her hand.

Reports say the two hurled chicken and Styrofoam at each other and traded insults, calling each other “a piece of work” and “liar.”

Police accounts and board members themselves disagree about who started the physical altercation. Witnesses told police D209 Supt. Jesse Rodriguez stepped between the two and stopped the fighting.

Kelly was treated at Rush-Oak Park Hospital for a sprained shoulder, police reports said. McDermott declined medical attention.

The two board members had sparred during the board meeting. Kelly reacted to a McDermott proposal to videotape board meetings by saying, “You’ve been on the board eight years and I have never heard that before. Now we have an election coming up and you want to pose for the camera!”

“And you’ve been on the board 16 years, Miss Kelly, and I haven’t heard you bring it up either,” McDermott responded. Members of the public have been videotaping meetings and posting them to social media for several months.

McDermott is up for election in April 2017, along with Board President Teresa McKelvy, Vice President Dan Adams and Secretary Brian Cross.

McKelvy adjourned the meeting early before board members could discuss new business, including the proposed videotaping and a meeting to choose an architect for a new facilities master plan. Kelly, Ned Wagner and Claudia Medina voted no on the motion to adjourn, but they were voted down four-to-three.

Kelly said she had filed a complaint for a “Stalking: No contact” order against McDermott.” The Chronicle was unable to confirm this with the Cook County Circuit Court.

Board member Ned Wagner witnessed the conflict, according to police reports. He declined to comment on the fight. But he did say board personality clashes didn’t necessarily interfere with the work a school board could do.

“There’s nothing in the school code that says, ‘Hey you guys have to get along,’” he said. “We’ve been moving forward as a board and school district this whole 15 months,” Wagner added. “We’ve made fantastic progress, and Theresa and Kevin have had conflict the entire time.”

McDermott agreed.

“Even boards where personal animosity exists can still do the work the board needs to do. That’s certainly my plan,” he said. “I think the district is moving forward despite the board’s interpersonal issues.”

Kelly said she believed the board’s work would not be interrupted by conflicts between herself and McDermott.

“Wherever you go you find some irate people. I can work with anyone at any time,” she said. “I’ve been working on this board all these years, never had a problem.

Kevin will not be a problem to me, I’m going to continue to work for children.”

McDermott guessed there would be more sniping back-and-forth during board meetings as the April, 2017 elections draw near.

“I will probably have to listen to a whole lot of insults from Theresa Kelly and I’m not going to respond to them.”

— Proviso School Board food fight sends board member to hospital —