An Unenforceable Hinsdale D-86 Settlement?

Darien IL

09 June, 2022

11:42 AM

Description

DARIEN, IL – The administration at Hinsdale High School District 86 is "uncomfortable" sharing some information with the board, a school board member said at last week's meeting. As she has stated before, member Peggy James said she struggles to get information from the district. Her latest request, she said, is for data related to discipline. A decade ago, District 86 entered a settlement with a board member who sued the district, James said. One of its terms was requiring the district to give board members requested information within five days, she said. It turns out, though, that the district's attorney recently determined the settlement was unenforceable, James said. "Interestingly, when I looked at March's board legal bills, rather than provide the requested documents and data, our board attorney spent 13 percent of billable service hours reviewing this agreement to determine that the settlement agreement is unenforceable," James said. So she said she has been told that the administration was not comfortable providing the requested data. She said she may ultimately get at least some requested information, but it may come three months later or after countless emails. Member Jeff Waters, who campaigned with James in last year's board election, said he completely agreed with her. "I think it's important for (the law firm) to recognize who the client is," he said. "Sometimes I think they are misaligned with their charge." The district is represented by the Arlington Heights-based Hodges Loizzi law firm. The district's administration did not return a request for comment on Wednesday morning.