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Our sources related to Dennis

Original Report written by Reed Sutman on . Updated .

This is a comprehensive catalogue of documents, emails, interviews, our internal notes, and other sources related to the Dennis Story.

Some off-the-record information and private notes are excluded. Some documents may unintentionally be missing and may be available at The Dennis Topic.

This page will be updated regularly as new sources are available. This page is a work-in-progress and some sources may not be catalogued yet.

Typically, we provide a description of every change to an article. We will not be providing such descriptions for this page, because it is cumbersome to do so.

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HLS Surveys | August 28, 2013 & January 2023

Illinois School Districts are required to have engineers inspect all buildings every ten years. Additionally, annual inspections are required to review minor issues that are not structural.

Finance Committee Meeting | August 8, 2022

The August 8, 2022 Finance Committee Meeting included discussion of Woodrow Wilson and Dennis. On the Meeting Minutes was "Demolition of current Dennis has to be part of the [Woodrow Wilson] conversation"

Public Comment about stair issues | August 23, 2022

On August 23, 2022, a parent spoke to the board of education stating "The beautiful staircase in the front of the building has a 1 inch gap that is visible from where it's actually separating from the building. This means there are foundational issues at this point, which will only get worse."

Structural Inspections by BFW & Klingner | May 30, 2023

Structural inspections were conducted by BFW Engineering on May 30, 2023 and by Klingner & Associates on June 1, 2023. Klingner's was released by the District on June 13th. BFW's was released by the District on June 29th.

FOIA Request | June 1, 2023

We sent a FOIA Request on June 1st seeking history on the structural issues. We received a response on June 8th.

Byers & Co | June 2, 2023

Dr. Clark "joined Byers & Co to talk about assessing structural issues at the Dennis School buildings, and the year in review."

Communications | June 2023

Some communications during June 2023.

Board Meeting | June 13, 2023

There was a Board of Education Meeting on June 13, 2023 at the Keil Building.

Byers & Co Interview | June 14, 2023

Bill Clevenger and Dr. Clark were interviewed on Byers & Co following the June 13th Press Release & Board Meeting.

Jill Reedy Interview | June 15, 2023

On June 15th, 2023, I interviewed Jill Reedy about HLS.

Board Meeting | June 21, 2023

There was a Board of Education Meeting on June 21, 2023 at MacArthur High School.

Byers & Co | June 22, 2023

Dr. Clark and Bill Clevenger were interviewed on Byers & Co.

Board Meeting | June 27, 2023

There was a Board of Education Meeting on June 27, 2023 at the Keil Building.

Dr. Kevin Collins-Brown Interview | June 28, 2023

I interviewed Dr. Kevin Collins-Brown on June 28, 2023 at Panera near Forsyth.

FOIA Request | July 10, 2023

I sent a FOIA request on June 23rd, 2023, and received a response on July 10, 2023. I sought documents and communications related to structural issues & building damage, related to Dennis.

I have submitted this request to the Attorney General's Public Access Counselor for review.

Board of Education Meeting | July 11, 2023

A Board meeting was held on July 11th at MacArthur High School.

Board of Education Meeting | July 24, 2023

A Board meeting was held on July 24th at the Keil Building.

Finance Committee Meeting | August 1, 2023

A Finance Committee Meeting was held on August 1, 2023.

Press Conference: Dennis Start Date | August 2, 2023

On Wednesday, August 2, 2023, the District announced Dennis's start date will be September 5, 2023, and that the rest of the District will start on time - August 14th. The tentative end date for Dennis's school year is June 14th, 2024.

FOIA Requests/Response | August 2, 2023

See the documents

I requested items related to communications, buildings, and personnel.

Board of Education Meeting | August 8, 2023

There was a Board of Education meeting on August 8, 2023 at the Keil Building. All Board Members were present.

Note: I had two brief off-the-record conversations that I did not record and am not sharing. No reportable information was gathered from these, but I did get a couple leads.

Board of Education Meeting | August 22, 2023

There was a Board of Education meeting on August 22, 2023 at the Keil Building. Alana Banks and Will Wetzel were absent.

Sources


This is an article about the topic Dennis Schools Structural Issues.