Dupage Policy Journal

Michelle Cordova-Ptak, a Hinsdale High school parent, is praising the District 86 school board's decision to place Superintendent Tammy Prentiss on a leave of absence.

"I think it is a huge step forward for the District,"  Cordova-Ptak told the DuPage Policy Journal. " I think the old board trying to push through things was horrific. I am hopeful that they will be able to rewind what old board did in regard to her ability to receive a pension. I would also like to see the pay raises she was given rescinded. I don't know  what their end game is with this, but they're at least looking at things which is more than what we got from the old board."

Patch reported that the school board issued the following statement: "Superintendent Tammy Prentiss is on a leave of absence beginning today. Assistant Superintendent Chris Covino will be the Acting Superintendent during her leave. Out of respect for Superintendent Prentiss’s privacy and confidentiality rights, the Board of Education will make no further comment at this time. The Board has full faith in the ability of Chris Covino to act in Superintendent Prentiss’s absence. There will be no changes to District calendared events or modification of District services during the leave unless indicated by Acting Superintendent Chris Covino or this Board of Education."

The board  was set to vote on a special counsel at their meeting on Monday, according to the official agenda. Two sessions of closed discussion were posted on their agenda for the evening. The  first was to discuss the “appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees,” or others who work with the district. After this the board was to come out of closed session to approve a special counsel, but no decisions have been published yet. The second closed session discussion was on the same topic as the first, regarding personnel matters. No minutes or meeting videos from outside of the closed sessions have yet been posted.                   

Members of the District 86 Facebook Group group shared photos of an email sent out from Hinsdale South High School administration, The Dupage Policy Journal reported.The email, which came from administrative assistant Kristin Scamehorn on behalf of Principal Patrick Hardy and his Student Advisory Council, was sent out to Black and Hispanic students who were registered in an AP course at the high school.

 The email acknowledged the “unique challenges” that they face and “biases, intentional or unintentional, you experience in these learning spaces.” The email invites the students to accept a “small gift of encouragement.” It reads, “Please report to the Black and Gold Room Thursday, May 11th at the end of 1st period to receive a small token of encouragement. You will receive your gift and proceed to your 2nd period class. We promise it will only take a few moments of your time. Please know that we see you! We see the hard work and dedication you bring to these courses every day, and sometimes against all odds. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed. These gifts [and] acts of kindness are for you. Congratulations on being an AP student and completing AP exams this year. Good luck in your AP future, and keep grinding! YOU ARE AN AP STUDENT.”

The email was criticized on Facebook by  Cordova-Ptak and other members of the District 86 Facegroup for being exclusionary and racist.

"Mr. Hardy is not inclusive or practicing inclusion if he is purposefully excluding certain races - that is practicing racism and our school principal at South is indeed being racist with this communication and preferential treatment toward only Hispanics and blacks, specifically,"  read a comment from Cordova-Ptak, posted by Joseph Robert Corcoran.

Cordova-Ptak  told the Policy Journal she has not received a response from the school system.

 "For some reason, the superintendent is now on leave and I don't know if that is at all related to this,"  Cordova-Ptak said.

She urged the school district to be transparent.

"Allowing people to speak at a board meeting and then disregarding everything they have to say is not the way to go," she said. "We have to face our issues head on, no matter what they might be."