Hinsdale D86 Backs Off Secrecy – At Least With Acronym

HINSDALE, IL – For nearly two weeks, Hinsdale High School District 86 officially kept the meaning behind "RS Matter" secret.

At a school board meeting late last month, none of the seven members spelled out "RS." In response to Patch's inquiry 10 days ago, no board members or their spokesperson responded.

That changed on Friday when the board released an agenda for its meeting Monday. The agenda includes an item labeled as "Possible Action on RS (Robbins Schwartz) Litigation."

Robbins Schwartz refers to the law firm that terminated its relationship with the school board in September 2024, saying the district was "unreasonably difficult" to serve.

Patch had suggested in previous stories that "RS" may have been a reference to Robbins Schwartz. Last year, the firm sued the district, saying it failed to pay $228,000 in legal bills.

In January, the board hired Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso, who is also an attorney, to handle the Robbins Schwartz litigation.

DuPage County Court records include emails between Grasso and Robbins' lawyer, Oran Cart, debating over what information the district should provide.

In a March 7 message, Grasso told Cart he would soon file a legal malpractice lawsuit on behalf of the district.

At last month's meeting, member Liz Mitha said the board should be clearer about its agenda items. This was during a brief discussion before the board shelved "RS Matter."

Board President Catherine Greenspon said the board couldn't always provide details on agenda items.

Member Jeff Waters added, "That's the law," prompting Greenpon to say, "That's correct. We just have to be careful."

They did not identify which law stopped the district from providing more information or at least spelling out the acronym.

The school board meets in open session at 6:30 p.m. Monday in Hinsdale South's library. The board is set to hold an hour-long closed meeting before that.