See Video That D-86 Apparently Doesn't Want Seen

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale High School District paid a vendor to film the school board meeting on Feb. 4.

But it apparently doesn't want the public to see the video.

Meeting videos are typically posted on the district's meeting video archive. The meeting in question included a closed session and lengthy public comments, but the video was not posted.

Many of the commenters criticized Superintendent Tammy Prentiss over the departure of a prospective anti-racism consultant. Most demanded her resignation. Similar comments have been made at other meetings.

Because the meeting video was not posted, resident Yvonne Mayer asked for it through a public records request and received it nine days after the meeting.

The video is available online among the district's responses to public records requests. But the meeting archive is a more convenient place for the public to access it.

The district stated in its response that its regular practice was not to record board meetings with closed sessions as the main purpose.

An invoice indicates the district paid Perfect Show Productions $165 to film the meeting. Usually, that job is taken care of by Keith Bockwoldt, the district's chief information officer, who had the day off.

At the March 24 meeting, board member Debbie Levinthal questioned the administration why it hadn't posted the video in question. She noted the district paid an outside vendor.

Bockwoldt said he forgot to post it the next day. He said he would do so.

"That was my mistake," he said.

Patch received a report that the district posted the video the next day, but it was taken down days later.

Patch left messages with Prentiss, Bockwoldt and board President Terri Walker, but they were not returned.

Mayer emailed school board members last week about the failure to post the video in the archives.

She said it appeared that Prentiss and Walker wanted to prevent the public from watching a meeting video with comments in opposition to the superintendent.

"In the process, they threw Mr. Bockwoldt under the bus by remaining silent while he took one for the team and claimed that it was all his mistake that the meeting video was not on the Archive," Mayer said.