Hinsdale D86 Keeps Secret Complaints That Led To $333K In Settlements

HINSDALE, IL – If you want to know why Hinsdale High School District 86 paid $333,000 in settlements last month, you're going to have to keep wondering.

The district this week declined to release records.

On Thursday, a watchdog questioned the secrecy.

Last month, the school board approved settlements with two students' families. One of the agreements included compensatory damages.

Through a public records request, Patch asked for the complaints or lawsuits that triggered the settlements.

In a reply Monday, the district cited a few reasons for withholding the entire documents, rather than blacking out certain portions.

Its main justification was that a state law bars the district from releasing information that personally identifies students.

Patch left messages for comment Wednesday with district officials on Wednesday and Thursday.

In an interview, John Kraft of Edgar County Watchdogs, which has long focused on open government issues, said he doubted all the information in the documents in question could be legally withheld.

He said the district should have released the records and redacted information that identified particular students.

"They're trying to hide what the complaints were about," Kraft said.

If Edgar County Watchdogs had filed the request, he said, it would have sued in response to such a denial. That would prompt a judge to read the documents and determine what parts should be open to the public, he said.

The district cited two other exceptions under the state's open records law that appeared to be irrelevant to the documents in question.

One of them was for the secrecy of the district's communications with its attorney. However, a request for complaints and lawsuits from outside parties has nothing to do with such communications.

The district also cited the exception for preliminary notes and drafts. This provision is intended to promote a free flow of ideas among employees and officials before a decision, so their communications can be kept under wraps. Such an exception does not apply to outside complaints and lawsuits.