Oak Brook, Ill. (ECWd) –
We ran across this Oak Brook Park District information when asked to provide a comment for another new organization.
The Oak Brook Park District held a closed session on May 19, 2025, to discuss various things that may or may not have been an authorized exception to be discussed during closed session.
The board later release the audio recording (below) and the meeting minutes of the closed session.
The audio reveals a warning, given by the park district attorney, reminding the board that they must keep all discussions private and to refrain from discussing anything outside the closed session, and to not inform other what was discussed, and if they did, there would Open Meetings Act violations which are civil and criminal penalties.
Listen just after the 24 minute mark:
This park district attorney is wrong and should know better.
We published an article in 2021 talking about this subject, and it still reigns true today.
An attorney general opinion from 1991 clearly indicates there can be no restriction on speaking about closed session discussions, and there can be no discipline extracted against board members if they decide to disclose closed session discussions:
“There is no provision in the constitution or the Open Meetings Act which expressly authorizes public bodies to sanction their members for revealing what went on during a closed meeting, and there is clearly no constitutional provision from which one may imply such powers.” (Click here for AG Opinion- see page 3)
An Appellate Court from 1990 (see page 9) case clearly indicates there can be no Open Meetings Act repercussions on a board for disclosing closed session discussions.
Illinois Periodicals also provides information in their Q and A about disclosing closed session discussions:
“Q: What can the library board do if someone is “leaking” information from a closed meeting?
A: This is a particularly vexing problem for library boards suffering from internal dissent. The Illinois Attorney General has given the opinion that boards do not have the right to sanction members who reveal what went on at a closed meeting. Therefore, there is not much you can do about such a situation. On the other hand, a board cannot be sued by someone who claims to have been injured by disclosure of information from a closed meeting. The Illinois Appellate Court has held that there is nothing in the Act that provides a cause of action against a public body for disclosure of information from a closed meeting. Swanson v. Board of Police Commissioners. 197 Ill. App.3d 592 (Dist.1990).”
The only statutory prohibition is for the closed session minutes in the Open Meetings Act. The “closed meeting minutes” cannot be released to the public without the board voting to release them. See 5 ILCS 120/2.06(f).
