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Lake Forest Schools Refuse to Record Key Community Meeting, Raising Transparency Concerns

Parents Care

Lake Forest, IL – A mid-year school update meeting, intended to provide insights into the state of Lake Forest schools, is set to take place on Tuesday between 9:30 and 11:00 AM—a time when most parents are at work and unable to attend. Despite the significance of the event, school officials have refused to record and share it publicly, prompting renewed concerns over transparency and accessibility.


A woman with brown hair smiles, wearing a white shirt and dark blazer, in front of a wooden background. She wears hoop earrings.
Melissa Oakley, the district's director of communications, makes nearly $200,000 annually in her role.

In an email exchange with Lake Forest Schools Communications Director Melissa Oakley, Parents Care Executive Director Frank McCormick asked whether the district could record the meeting and make it available online. Oakley declined, stating that the district was not hosting the event and that responsibility rested with the Association of Parents and Teachers (APT) and the Spirit of 67 Foundation—despite the fact that the meeting is being held at the district's administrative center.


McCormick then followed up with the APT and Spirit of 67 Foundation to ask if they would record the event. As of now, he has not received a response, but he does not believe the responsibility should fall on those organizations.


"It is unfair to blame APT and Spirit of 67 for not doing something that should be the responsibility of the school district," McCormick said. "This is a meeting on the state of our schools—something of direct interest to parents and taxpayers. It should be recorded and accessible to the entire community, not just the handful of people who can attend in the middle of a workday."


Parents Care, a local school oversight organization advocating for transparency and academic excellence, has consistently raised concerns about the district’s lack of openness. The refusal to record this meeting adds to growing frustration among parents who feel they must fight for even the most basic access to information.


"This should be an effortless job for the communications department, who will be in the same office where the event is taking place," said Parents Care President Jeff Brincat. "Such basic transparency should not require such a fight from the district. Lake Forest Schools should not refuse to record such important meetings."


Parents Care continues to urge district officials to reconsider and ensure that parents and community members have access to important discussions about their schools.


Parents Care will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates as it develops.

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