State Investigates Hinsdale D86 Closed Meeting

HINSDALE, IL – The Hinsdale High School District 86 board never took an initial public vote to suspend the superintendent or choose someone to act in her place.

But the day after a May 15 closed board meeting, Superintendent Tammy Prentiss was notified she was on leave. And Assistant Superintendent Chris Covino was told he was the acting superintendent.

The board has declined to answer repeated questions about who made those initial decisions, which the board voted to affirm publicly nine days later.

Two weeks ago, Patch filed an Open Meetings Act complaint against the district with the Attorney General's Office.

In a letter to the district Wednesday, the attorney general notified the district it would look into the issue, giving the board seven business days to respond. The attorney general could have dismissed the matter as having no basis.

In Illinois, a public body such as a school board must make its decisions in public, although it can discuss issues about specific personnel behind closed doors.

Through a public records request, Patch found that board President Catherine Greenspon notified Prentiss of her suspension the day after the closed meeting.

Greenspon, a board member who presides over meetings, has no independent power. Decisions can only be made by a majority vote of the board.

Patch is requesting the attorney general to compel the school board to release the part of the closed meeting recording in which the board made the decisions.

In an email in May, district spokesman Chris Jasculca pointed to a provision in Covino's contract that states he may be assigned other duties. Yet the district has not stated who assigned those duties.

In response to a later public records request, the district said the assistant superintendent for academics, the position Covino holds, becomes the acting superintendent when the superintendent is temporarily unavailable. The district has not disclosed a document or policy that indicates this is the case.

On Monday, Prentiss entered a severance agreement with the district. She is set to get her full salary through next March.