Hinsdale D86 Officials Debate Closed Session Minutes

HINSDALE, IL – A Hinsdale High School District 86 board member last week suggested corrections for some of the minutes of closed meetings in June and July.

No one disputed the need for the changes, but a majority of the board voted for the minutes anyway.

Most of the board meetings were held in connection with the ouster of Superintendent Tammy Prentiss.

At Thursday's board meeting, member Kay Gallo suggested a number of corrections. She said certain people who attended the sessions were identified incorrectly. Also, she said a set of minutes failed to include one of the cited legal exemptions to close the doors.

Member Debbie Levinthal asked the board to delay a vote on the minutes. And member Asma Akhras, who as the board's secretary wrote the minutes, requested more direction on what the board would like.

Raymond Lechner, one of the district's two interim superintendents, recommended the board vote on the minutes and then "start from scratch."

The board voted 4-3 in favor of the minutes as presented, with Gallo, Levinthal and Akhras dissenting.

Because the meetings are closed, the public is barred from seeing the minutes. The minutes are drafted for reference by current and future boards.

For District 86, debates over such minutes can get contentious. In 2022, the board minority walked out in protest over closed session minutes drafted by the majority.