District 86 Board President Addresses Ongoing Lawsuit

HINSDALE, IL — At the Hinsdale District 86 School Board meeting on June 4, Board President Bill Carpenter addressed the ongoing lawsuit between the district and former board member Claudia Manley and her husband Noel. According to the board, the lawsuit has been going on for over three years, and began after an incident in 2015 in which Manley had a verbal altercation with a then District 86 student.

The student was distributing leaflets in support of Manley's opponents in the upcoming board election in April 2015, Carpenter said at the meeting. After receiving complaints from the student's parents and the community about Manley's behavior, the board appointed an investigator to look into the incident. There was also an online petition circulating that called for Manley's resignation after the incident.

According to the board, the Manleys then filed a lawsuit in the DuPage County Circuit Court to stop the investigation. The request was denied and the investigation proceeded, which determined that Manley did not treat the student with civility and respect as called for by board policy.

The Chicago Tribune reported that Manley's comments were not bullying or harassment and she wasn't disciplined.

The Manleys then added claims to their lawsuit seeking money damages under federal law against the board and superintendent Dr. Bruce Law, according to the board. The case then went to federal court to have a federal judge decide the new claims. In 2016, the federal district court in Chicago ruled against the Manleys, holding that their claims lacked merit. This judgment was recently affirmed by the federal appeals court, Carpenter said in his statement.

According to Carpenter, the Manleys are now pursuing a petition for rehearing in the appeals court. Their attorney has also indicated possibly filing a petition for appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"We fully expect that the Manleys’ further efforts at appeals will be fruitless," Carpenter said during the meeting. "The courts have spoken clearly and decisively on this case three times—first in refusing to halt the investigation, then in rejecting the Manleys’ claims at the federal trial and appeal levels."

Carpenter said the board believes it is time for this litigation to come to an end.

"This lawsuit has been a needless distraction and it is difficult to understand why it continues, given that the claims for damages have been rejected and the investigation was completed three years ago," Carpenter said in his statement at the June 4 meeting. "Indeed, the student involved in the incident graduated in 2015, and Claudia herself has not been a board member since 2016. But if the Manleys continue to press their meritless claims, the board will continue to vigorously defend itself."

Image via District 86.