Antiracism Pact: Hinsdale D-86 Keeps Emails Secret

HINSDALE, IL — Hinsdale High School District 86 is keeping under wraps emails involving the superintendent and school board members about last year's contract with antiracism consultants.

Earlier this month, a resident requested recent correspondence among officials related to last year's contract with Anew Collective Consulting and Saxman Consulting, for which they received $69,300.

More than a week ago, the district provided 42 pages of documents in response to the request. Virtually all the text in the emails were blacked out, except for names and the occasional "thank you" or "have a good weekend."

In its response, the district said it exempted information that contained "predecisional and deliberative material" such as notes and memoranda.

But the resident's request did not seek documents that were created before the superintendent's approval of the since-expired contract last school year. The resident was seeking recent communications involving that contract.

In response to a Patch inquiry, Chris Jasculca, the district's spokesman, said he referred it to attorneys that help with public records requests.

"They are the ones who are best able to answer your questions and address your concerns," he said.

John Kraft of Edgar County Watchdogs, a statewide group, said the district appears to have improperly used the "predecisional" exception.

"I would say that's not going to fly with the attorney general or the courts," Kraft said in an interview.

In their correspondence, Superintendent Tammy Prentiss, board President Terri Walker and board members Debbie Levinthal and Peggy James all sent emails addressed to the entire board.

No one replied all, which would have been seen as a discussion that could violate the state's open meetings law.

Still, Kraft said he was troubled by the exchanges outside a meeting.

"It may cross the line as an illegal meeting," he said.

Even without the use of reply-all, Kraft said, the attorney general has determined that an online discussion may break the meetings law if enough members are sending emails to the entire board about the same issue.

"I would have no heartburn submitting a complaint to the attorney general," he said.

In September, the antiracism consultants resigned after one of them issued a controversial tweet seen as anti-police. A board majority approved this year's agreement with the consultants a month before.

Through a recent public records request, Patch found that last year's contract was signed by the superintendent without ever going through the board. The district said this week that it was approved as part of the overall budget.

The district makes most of the results of its records requests available to the public on its website. Most government bodies do not have that level of openness.