Attorney general examining removal of principal of Rolling Meadows junior high school

The Illinois attorney general's office is examining whether the Palatine Township Elementary School District 15 school board violated the Open Meetings Act when it removed Plum Grove Junior High School Principal Kerry Wilson from her job last month.

The move, which sparked controversy within the Rolling Meadows school's community, shifted Wilson to an administrative post more than two months earlier than scheduled.

Chris Rushing, a school parent who asked the attorney general's office to review the board's actions, said the decision to shift Wilson to assistant director of human resources on April 21 should have been made in an open meeting with proper notice.

The school board approved the switch at a March 8 meeting, but effective July 1, not in April.

Rushing had offered to withdraw his complaint if Wilson were restored to principal for the remainder of the school year, but with the eighth-grade graduation on Tuesday night, that is no longer an option.

In its response to the attorney general, the district said Superintendent Laurie Heinz has the authority to reassign Wilson immediately, which she did after informing the school board.

The board's discussion of the change in closed session April 12 was proper and did not constitute final action, which took place in open session at a May 10 meeting, the district said in its response.

Wilson, in the meantime, has retained an attorney and recently said the district treated her "like a criminal."

"My badge was deactivated. My emails went down. They closed everything off immediately, like I was a thief," said Wilson, who is now on leave from the district.

Her removal upset many Plum Grove parents and students, several of whom stayed away from school April 26 on what they called a Wilson Wellness Wednesday.

"I'm just blessed to have so many people that care. Those are the people that know what I do every day," said Wilson, who served 15 years as Plum Grove principal.

While District 15 officials publicly have stated they are excited for Wilson to join the administration, documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request detail a litany of recent disputes between her and administrators.

One document states that after "continued insubordination of district directives," Wilson was offered the job as assistant director of human resources "in part as a means to provide you with a dignified way to continue your employment with the district."

Documents indicate much of the conflict surrounded Wilson's handling of special education matters. She was directed in a "Last Chance Warning Letter" in February to have no further involvement in any special education services for students.

"They basically told me that I shouldn't talk to any parents that have students with (special education plans) and forward them to other administrators working in the building," Wilson said. "But to tell me I can't talk to parents with children ... in a school of almost 900, it's pretty ridiculous. And it's not legal."