Lyons Township High Notes Secrecy Of Closed Meetings

LA GRANGE, IL – Lyons Township High School board members last week approved protocols that included calling for keeping secret what is discussed in closed sessions.

But what's a board member to do if the board is violating the state's open meetings law, which requires public discussion on most topics?

For the high school board, the question is not theoretical.

In 2022 and early 2023, the board met repeatedly behind closed doors for the plan to sell the school's Willow Springs land to an industrial developer. The parcel is next to houses and an elementary school. Board members were told neighbors would oppose such a transaction.

Once it became public in early 2023, residents complained to the attorney general's office about the secrecy. In separate rulings in 2023 and 2024, the office found the board broke the Open Meetings Act, prompting the release of the recordings.

The board's new protocol states, "Board members and staff will respect the confidentiality of privileged information and will not divulge conversations, discussions, or deliberations that take place during a closed session meeting."

Patch asked board President Timothy Albores, who took the helm after the April election, about how a member can bring closed-session violations to light. Patch mentioned options such as a board member informing the public or complaining to the attorney general.

Albores responded through the district's spokeswoman, Mary Lin Muscolino.

"Historically, whenever we’ve entered into closed session, an attorney from our new law firm has been present to ensure we remain within the parameters of the Open Meetings Act," Albores said. "That said, the board is also required, per school code, to attend required OMA trainings. As far as the options you described, any of those options would be available to any board of education that encountered those situations."

Albores was elected in 2023 after the closed meetings in question. By that point, the board abandoned its plan to sell to an industrial buyer after residents and multiple local government bodies objected.

In its closed meetings, the board discussed not only the land deal, but also an enrollment study, the district's long-term finances for building projects and a board member's self-described conspiracy theory. Members also spent much time strategizing about how to keep their effort secret for as long as possible from other public bodies.

In his campaign, Albores opposed selling the land to an industrial developer. In the April election, two of the four winning candidates took the board to task for its earlier open meetings violations.