Hinsdale D-86 'At ICU Level': Leader

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale High School District 86's superintendent has stayed largely mum about the movement against her.

She has faced two major controversies since January – the sudden withdrawal of a prospective anti-racism consultant and the district's mask mandate.

At the Jan. 13 school board meeting, Prentiss read the withdrawal letter from North Carolina consultant Valda Valbrun, who cited hateful messages against her and called Hinsdale "dangerous."

That sparked anger in the district, with residents questioning why Prentiss publicly read the letter. This also led to criticism of the district's general effort toward equity.

Public records show Prentiss took part in a Zoom session with local clergy about diversity and equity issues on Feb. 8.

During public comments at board meetings, Prentiss' critics have accused her of enlisting the clergy to back her up.

If the emails are an indication, it was the clergy who approached her about meeting with them on Zoom.

In its records, the district blacked out the names of faith leaders who took part in the meeting.

On Jan. 28, a member of the clergy wrote Prentiss, praising the district for its equity work.

"You should be very proud," the person said. "I've had quite a few folks contacting me about supporting this work in Hinsdale, including other faith leaders and people with experience."

The member of the clergy asked whether Prentiss would like to meet with just one person or a group of faith leaders.

Prentiss said a group worked.

"I think we are at ICU level," said Prentiss, apparently using the acronym for "intensive care unit."

These messages were exchanged about a week and a half before the protests against mask mandates at Hinsdale Central High School.

The communications were also before the district released Prentiss' emails with Valbrun. In those messages, Prentiss added the language to Valbrun's letter about Hinsdale being dangerous. The district's spokesman said Valbrun requested the wording.

The Feb. 8 Zoom meeting was at the height of the anti-mask protests.

In other emails before the meeting, one of the clergy said the faith leaders would focus on how they could "constructively" support the district's diversity, equity and inclusion work.

In another message, a faith leader wrote, "I'm sorry things have gone so badly and that the most ill-informed folks are the loudest... We will look for ways to create calm and still forward the work of creating a more just world."

In a recent advertisement in the Hinsdalean, five area faith organizations emphasized the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion.

The organizations were the Community Presbyterian Church of Clarendon Hills, Hinsdale United Methodist Church, the Mecca Center, Unitarian Church of Hinsdale and Union Church of Hinsdale.