Libertyville SD 70 board approves policy updates and votes to retain several closed-session minutes

The Libertyville Elementary School District 70 Board of Education approved a set of policy updates and voted to retain several closed-session minutes after meeting on Sept. 29, 2025, in the ERC boardroom at 1381 Lake St.

The meeting opened at 6:00 p.m. with roll call and a public budget hearing. The board quickly moved to adjourn that public hearing; the motion to adjourn the hearing was made by Mr. McGhee and seconded by Mr. Lawton and passed on roll call, ending the hearing at 6:04 p.m. The regular meeting then convened at 6:05 p.m.

By motion of Mr. McGhee, seconded by Mr. Lawton, the board approved the consent agenda, which included the minutes of the Aug. 25, 2025 regular meeting (Board Report 5.1) and finance reports/agenda of bills (Board Report 5.2). The transcript records the motion and second; a separate roll-call tally for the consent agenda is not provided in the transcript record.

The board then considered Board Report 8.1, a package of policy updates covering governance and operational policies. The policies listed in the transcript include (nonexhaustive list): 1:10 (Legal Status), 1:20 (District Organization; Operations; Cooperative Agreements), 1:30 (Philosophy), 2:10 (Governance), 2:80 (Board Member Oath and Conduct), 2:130 (Board–Superintendent Relationship), 2:240 (Policy Development), 3:30 (Chain of Command), 4:50 (Payment Procedures), 4:55 (Use of Credit and Procurement Cards), 4:180 (Pandemic Preparedness; Management; and Recovery), 7:40 (Nonpublic Students), 7:90 (Release During School Hours), 7:130 (Student Rights and Responsibilities), 7:140 (Search and Seizure), 7:300 (Extracurricular Athletics), 7:325 (Student Fundraising Activities), and 8:110 (Public Suggestions and Concerns). A motion by Mr. Lawton, seconded by Nanette Dahlke, to approve the policies in Board Report 8.1 passed on roll call with all seven members recorded as voting aye and none opposed.

Under Board Report 8.2, Superintendent Rebecca Jenkins reviewed closed-session minutes for the board’s review under the Illinois Open Meetings Act. The transcript records that the board sought to keep the following minutes confidential: Oct. 21, 2024; Jan. 27, 2025; Feb. 24, 2025; Mar. 17, 2025; May 19, 2025; June 23, 2025; and Aug. 25, 2025. A motion by Nanette Dahlke, seconded by Mr. Lawton, is recorded immediately afterward; however, the motion text printed in the transcript appears to reference approving a “tentative budget as submitted in Board Report 8.2,” which conflicts with the preceding description focused on closed minutes. The transcript does not provide a separate roll-call tally for that specific motion in the provided segments. This apparent mismatch is noted here for transparency and requires clarification in the official minutes or by district staff.

The meeting record lists no board correspondence or other items. A final motion by Mr. McGhee, seconded by Mr. Lawton, adjourned the regular meeting at 6:55 p.m.

Votes at a glance: the transcript records (1) the public budget hearing adjournment (motion by Mr. McGhee; second Mr. Lawton; roll call ayes all), (2) approval of the consent agenda (motion by Mr. McGhee; second Mr. Lawton; vote tally not shown in these segments), (3) approval of policy updates in Board Report 8.1 (motion by Mr. Lawton; second Nanette Dahlke; roll call ayes all), and (4) a motion related to Board Report 8.2 (motion by Nanette Dahlke; second Mr. Lawton) whose explicit vote tally and exact motion text in the transcript are unclear and should be verified against the official minutes.

The meeting packet and referenced reports (Board Reports 5, 8.1 and 8.2) are available on the district website under the Board section, according to the transcript.