La Salle-Peru High School releases 27 minutes from Feb. 6, 2022, closed session

The La Salle-Peru Township High School District 120 Board released a portion of audio from a closed-session meeting conducted Feb. 6, 2022, after a review from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.

“The closed-session meeting discussion pertained to potential litigation regarding the school district’s COVID-19 mitigation policy, including but not limited to the possibility that L-P High School could have been named among numerous other Illinois schools in a lawsuit challenging the implementation of mask mandates,” according to a news release from the school.

Given the uncertain and chaotic nature of conflicting health guidance regarding mask mandates at that time, the board determined it would be appropriate to discuss potential legal liabilities in closed session, according to the release.

The L-P school board, like other public bodies, faced possible threats on both sides of the masking issue, according to the release. There were threats of litigation from the state for noncompliance with directives of the Illinois Department of Public Health and Illinois School Board of Education. There were risks of litigation from individuals feeling that the government requirements violated their constitutional rights.

After a review by the Illinois Office of the Attorney General, it has been determined that although much of the Feb. 6, 2022, meeting conversation pertained to the posture and consequences of prospective litigation, there were six portions of the discussion – about 27 total minutes – that fell beyond the scope of a closed-session meeting and should have occurred in open session, according to the release.

“The board of education remains confident it endeavored to act in the best interest of the school district based on the legal standards at the time the meeting occurred,” the board said in the release. “The board believes in maintaining transparency with community stakeholders and wants to resolve this issue.”

The audio recording of those portions of the closed-session meeting are now available to the public in the L-P district office.