MATTOON, Ill. (WCIA) — A former Mattoon School Board member is suing the district, superintendent and board president for alleged retaliation against her freedom of speech.

In a lawsuit filed on Oct. 2 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, Urbana Division, Dr. Heidi Larson is accusing Mattoon Community Unit School District #2, Superintendent Tim Condron and Board President Dale Righter of taking part in a retaliatory campaign against her.

Larson and her lawyers said they believe the defendants did this in an effort to punish her for publicly criticizing and questioning decisions the district was making and some of the practices of the administration. She said she felt like her free speech was silenced by these parties for her comments about spending, curriculum and transparency among other things.

“Defendants sought to control the content of Larson’s comments, inquiries, and chill and punish her exercise of political rights, both as a citizen and board member, including silencing protected speech on issues germane to potential violations of law by defendants,” the lawsuit states.

Larson, also a tenured professor at Eastern Illinois University, claims that between 2021-2025, she openly questioned topics such as but not limited to COVID-19 mask mandates, Superintendent Condron’s performance and expenses, and curriculum content.

As a result, she is alleging that Condron and Righter withheld board information from her, criticized her publicly using false legal opinions, stopped her from speaking at board meetings and pushed for other board members to be hostile towards her.

Larson also accused the defendants of filing a false complaint with her employer, EIU, which lead to an investigation into her volunteer work with the university’s BIONIC mentoring program. Even though she was cleared in December 2024 regarding this investigation, Larson said it not only damaged her reputation, but also forced her to no seek re-election in 2025 as a board member.

“The intentional interference with Larson’s employment was in retaliation for Larson’s Protected Speech and Activity in the past, to coerce and chill its continued expression and to coerce Larson not to run for re-election to the Board,” the lawsuit states.

Larson and her lawyers are seeking relief under a number of legal claims due to the school district and other defendant’s alleged efforts in silencing her free speech, and against Condron specifically for him using his position to block her political rights. She is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, attorney’s fees and costs and a jury trial.

WCIA reached out to Mattoon Community Unit School District #2, Tim Condron and Dale Righter for comment but not receive an immediate response. WCIA also reached out to EIU to see if Larson is still employed by the university but not receive an immediate response.