LTHS Meeting's Purpose A Mystery

LA GRANGE, IL – For now, the Lyons Township High School board is keeping secret from the public why it plans to hold a special meeting next week.

The March 9 special meeting recently appeared on the board's schedule.

Patch asked school spokeswoman Mary Lin Muscolino about the meeting's purpose.

In her emailed response, Muscolino said the board posts special meeting agendas at least 48 hours beforehand. She did not give any clue about the meeting's reason.

The board is holding its regular meeting three days earlier.

Some residents may suspect the special meeting is about the controversy over the school's plan to sell its land in Willow Springs to an industrial developer. Members have not publicly discussed the issue for more than a month.

In the last year, the board has held three special meetings – all of which were closed sessions.

In February and June, the board held self-evaluations behind closed doors. This is a process guided by the Illinois Association of School Boards.

The last special closed meeting was in July. That was when the board's agenda indicated it reviewed a student disciplinary case and "probable or imminent" litigation.

That may have been related to the attack on a girl in a school hallway. A month after the closed meeting, the girl's family received $140,000 as part of a settlement.

The meeting section for the school's website only includes agendas going back a year. They may also be found through the website's search function. (Other school districts keep organized agenda databases for much longer – for instance, Elmhurst District 205 goes back 15 years.)

The school board's special meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. March 9.