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District 86 residents demand FOIA transparency as board weighs policy edits
Summary
Several residents and former committee members urged Hinsdale Township High School District 86 to restore archived FOIA records and questioned recent changes to the district FOIA log; the board advanced first-read edits that would have the board president appoint a FOIA officer while stressing separation between board and operational FOIA processing.
Several community members at the Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Committee of the Whole meeting on Oct. 9 pressed the board to restore public FOIA records and to clarify who controls FOIA processes.
Yvonne Mair read a resignation letter from Kate Gallo and told the board that ‘‘more likely than not, they’ve exposed themselves to liabilities at the hands of the board and board leadership.’’ Mair and other speakers accused the district of removing or otherwise limiting access to historical FOIA log entries related to the termination of an outside contractor, saying a requested termination letter was withheld and that required disclosure about withholding was not provided.
Board discussion that followed focused on a set of policy revisions presented for first reading that would align the district’s written procedures with the Open Meetings Act and the district’s practice. Chair James said the policy edits clarify that ‘‘the board president is the head of the public body’’ and would designate employees for Open Meetings Act training and appoint an employee to serve as the FOIA officer; board members emphasized the appointee must be an employee, not the board president personally.
Supporters of restoring the FOIA archive argued the public record is a community resource and said removing older entries hinders transparency and civic research. One speaker said she had filed a separate FOIA seeking the missing records.
Board members and administrators said they intend to maintain a wall between board deliberations and the operational processing of FOIA requests, noting the district’s chief FOIA officer works with legal counsel on responses. The policy committee reported it will bring final language through the normal first-read/final-action timetable, with further committee review noted in public committee minutes.
The board did not take final action on the policy changes at the meeting; they were presented for first reading and will return to committee and the full board for additional review.
