Hinsdale D-86 Wants To 'Cleanse' Record: Official

BURR RIDGE, IL – A board member for Hinsdale High School District 86 last week accused the board's majority of seeking to "cleanse" files that they see as "unpleasant."

Member Peggy James was referring to the majority's vote two weeks ago to reject the minutes she drafted for three closed sessions in February. Those meetings were held at the height of the movement against Superintendent Tammy Prentiss over mask policies and the controversy about anti-racist consultants.

James prefaced her remarks by saying that member Kathleen Hirsman, a member of the majority, had no need to interrupt her because James would release no confidential information.

James was referring to Hirsman trying to cut her off at a June meeting when James spoke about her suspicion that the majority was preparing to vote down her minutes.

It was at that meeting that James and members Debbie Levinthal and Jeff Waters walked out before a vote could be taken on the minutes in question. That forced the meeting to end because a quorum was unavailable.

In her comments last week, James said her minutes followed the board's procedures. They provided a record for current and future board members, she said.

Closed session minutes are typically kept secret from the public, though the board could vote to release them later.

James drafted the minutes while she was still the board's secretary, a position she lost to member Terri Walker in May.

James said she recently voted against Walker's minutes because they did not meet the board's minimum standards. The majority voted for them. James said they were so minimal that future board members would have to listen to recordings to figure out what happened.

James wondered what would happen with the February minutes. New ones have not been presented to the board.

"I will be eager to find out who is recreating those minutes now that we're six months later after those meetings actually occurred," she said.

No members responded to James' comments.