'One-Way Tirade' From Hinsdale D-86 Leader: Complaint

HINSDALE, IL – The superintendent of Hinsdale High School District 86 was accused in a complaint of engaging in a "one-way tirade" against a resident.

Through a public records request, Patch on Friday received a copy of the complaint against Superintendent Tammy Prentiss. In response to the grievance, the school board last month voted 4-3 to find that she did nothing wrong.

In its request, Patch sought any written response from Prentiss, but the district did not provide one. That indicated no such response exists.

The district blacked out the resident's name and other personally identifying information.

In the complaint, the resident expressed concern about a student who had spoken during a meeting of the Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee meeting in November. The resident did not attend the session, but heard about it.

The resident asked school officials about the matter. The complaint said the resident did not go beyond internal channels about the issue.

On Nov. 2, Prentiss called the resident, the complaint said.

"When I answered the phone, Ms. Prentiss began talking to me," the resident said. "She informed me that the call was to be a 'one-way conversation.' She told me, 'You have crossed the line, this time you have gone too far.'"

Prentiss then accused the resident of a serious breach of student confidentiality in discussing private student information shared at the advisory committee meeting, the complaint said.

"She suggested I was gossiping. She stated she could not figure out who was in the group that shared the student information," the resident said. "When I tried to tell her that I took my concern only to district staff, she cut me off and said, 'You are not to speak, this is not a dialogue, you are to listen.'"

The resident then said, "Then we are done," and hung up, according to the complaint.

The resident referred to the call as the superintendent's "one-way tirade."

"Ms. Prentiss' call to me left me shaken," the resident said. "I have never been spoken to in such a hostile, harassing, disrespectful, condescending and intimidating manner by a school administrator."

The resident said this was not the first time Prentiss acted irrationally and yelled during a call.

The resident demanded a full investigation under the school board's policies.

In a March 25 response, board President Terri Walker said the district had hired the Robbins Schwartz law firm to investigate.

She said the law firm found the evidence did not substantiate any violations of policies. She said the board does not tolerate any form of retaliation.

In voting on the complaint, the board fell along its usual lines. Walker and members Erik Held, Cynthia Hanson and Kathleen Hirsman backed Prentiss, while Peggy James, Debbie Levinthal and Jeff Waters supported the complaint.

In February, the board divided along the same lines to reject a complaint against Prentiss and her administrative chief of staff, Debra Kedrowski.

A resident said the two employees committed retaliatory, harassing and bullying conduct in the handling of public records requests.

The movement against Prentiss gained steam in February during the height of anti-mask protests. A Change.org petition calling for her ouster has collected nearly 1,500 online signatures.