D-86 Leader Deletes Equity Consultant's Text

HINSDALE, IL – The superintendent of Hinsdale High School District 86 deleted a text message from an anti-racist consultant who called Hinsdale "dangerous," the district confirmed last week.

In its public records log, the district released the text in question. Residents had requested such texts before, but the district did not provide them.

The undated text gives part of the same message that anti-racist consultant Valda Valbrun later issued in her statement withdrawing from consideration as the district's anti-racist consultant.

That statement was read by Superintendent Tammy Prentiss at the Jan. 13 board meeting. In response, many residents accused Prentiss of acting in coordination with Valbrun in calling Hinsdale dangerous.

In the released text, Valbrun said, "I got several messages yesterday and really think Hinsdale is a dangerous place and would not be comfortable there. It's shameful and I feel sorry for the students that have to experience and don't have the privilege of walking away."

In its online log, the district explained why it failed to release the text before.

"(T)he Superintendent had deleted her own copy of this text message the same day it was received according to her ordinary protocol for text messages on her personal cell phone, not believing it was required to be retained," the district said in the records log.

That was why the text was not produced in response to past requests, the district said.

Before Prentiss deleted the text, according to the district, she sent a screenshot to Terri Walker, then the board's president. Because of that, the district said, the document is "arguably" required to be released.

Recently, the district said, the screenshot was distributed to the entire board as an attachment to a document that was otherwise subject to the secrecy of attorney-client privilege.

To the extent that similar documents exist, the district said, officials are allowed to keep them under wraps.

The district said that by providing the text, it is not saying that such a document is required to be retained under the law.

In recent times, resident Yvonne Mayer has repeatedly emailed the school board, questioning whether text messages are being deleted.

At a meeting last month, the school board debated the topic of preserving text messages.

In an email Tuesday, Mayer took issue with Prentiss' practice of deleting texts.

"Apparently the superintendent did not believe her text message was required to be retained. Hogwash," Mayer said. "Her cell phone is paid for in part by the district – in other words with taxpayer dollars – and is the phone she is required to use to conduct district business. Text messages are public records that are required to be retained pursuant to the local records retention laws. Administrators don't get to make up their own rules."

According to the superintendent's contract, Prentiss gets a $100 monthly allowance for her cellphone.

Mayer said the released text is likely part of a larger chain of messages. If they had been released, she said, they would likely have answered questions about the controversy surrounding Valbrun's withdrawal from consideration as a consultant.

"Now the district is providing some mumbo-jumbo justification for not doing so before but being required to do so now because it was attached to an attorney-client privilege document they are still withholding in its entirety from the community," Mayer said.