CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — A McHenry County judge issued a temporary restraining order Tuesday, which will prevent Crystal Lake Elementary District 47 from holding a Boundary Committee meeting or voting on proposed elementary school boundary changes for the next 10 days, according to the school district.
The ruling comes one day after District 47 announced it had canceled an Oct. 6 Boundary Committee meeting amid a lawsuit filed by District 47 parent Joe Keegan, who contends the committee is subject to the Illinois Open Meetings Act.
Keegan filed an emergency motion Friday asking the court to prohibit the committee from meeting unless District 47 publicly posts notice and an agenda, opens the meeting to the public, allows attendees to record and address the committee and keeps written minutes. He also asked the court to prevent a meeting from taking place if those requirements were not met.
District 47 said Tuesday that it canceled the Oct. 6 meeting in an effort to avoid spending taxpayer money litigating the issue on an emergency basis, but Keegan moved forward with Tuesday's hearing.
"This morning, the judge issued a TRO based on the plaintiff's documents and scheduled a full hearing for October 9th at 1:30 p.m.," the district said in a statement.
The district said the temporary order means the Boundary Committee cannot meet and the Board of Education cannot vote on boundary changes during the 10-day period.
District officials noted, however, that after canceling the Oct. 6 committee meeting, no Boundary Committee meeting or board vote had been planned during that period.
"This does not impact the timeline that has been shared with our community as the Board vote on the boundaries is scheduled for November and the only boundary committee meeting scheduled has been cancelled," according to the district.
The Board of Education is still scheduled to receive a comprehensive presentation on two elementary boundary recommendations during its Oct. 19 meeting, which will be open to the public.
A final board vote is scheduled for Nov. 16, and any approved elementary boundary changes are expected to take effect for the 2027-28 school year. District 47 began its comprehensive boundary review in 2024 in an effort to address enrollment imbalances and the use of district facilities.
At the center of Keegan's lawsuit is whether the Boundary Committee qualifies as a public body subject to the Illinois Open Meetings Act.
District 47 maintains that it does not.
The district has described the Boundary Committee as an administrative advisory group created to gather information and provide input to Superintendent Kathy Hinz, rather than a committee of the Board of Education. District officials have said that distinction means the committee is not subject to the Open Meetings Act.
Keegan's court filing points to the committee's composition, use of district resources and role in developing boundary recommendations. According to the filing, the committee has 21 members, including two Board of Education members. District materials from March 2024 said the group would include board members, administrators, staff, parents or guardians and community members and would help develop boundary recommendations for the board.
Keegan previously told Patch his concerns arose after he requested the Boundary Committee's meeting notices, agendas and minutes. According to his emergency motion, the district provided a list of 14 committee meetings held between April 2024 and August 2026 but said notices, agendas and minutes did not exist for those meetings.
District 47 disputes Keegan's contention that those meetings were required to comply with the Open Meetings Act. Keegan has said his lawsuit is focused on access to records and meetings rather than asking the court to decide which boundary proposal the district should adopt.
District officials stressed Tuesday that a temporary restraining order is an interim ruling and said their attorneys will respond to Keegan's filings at the Oct. 9 hearing.
"Our attorneys will respond to the plaintiff's legal filings and public commentary in Court on October 9th," the district said. "We will not otherwise comment on this litigation further."
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