Paris, Ill. (ECWd) –
During its April 20, 2026, Regular School Board Meeting, Paris District 95 board of trustees approved a settlement agreement in the Freedom of Information Act lawsuit we brought against them in 2023 for their refusal to provide the federal grand jury subpoena related to the alleged federal grant funding investigation.
The district paid or will soon pay our attorneys the amount of $75,000 for attorney fees incurred in the circuit and appellate courts.
They also provided the unredacted subpoena last week.
It is unfortunate that the district refused to comply with the FOIA request back in 2023 when they should have provided the requested record(s) – this is the cost of their noncompliance.
The proposed settlement agreement is below, which is what was voted on:
Proposed Settlement Agreement
2 Responses
Now how are you planning on putting that money back into the community or school system, and when are the criminal charges being brought against them? This mentality of government officials(Public Servants) violating the law and the only recourse being to sue them has got to be brought to a swift end. It is exactly this kind of practice being allowed that has us in this position where our public servants believe they are the authority and WE THE PEOPLE are mere chattel.
No. All of it goes to our attorneys.