Illinois Attorney General Ruled That Waukegan Community School Unit District #60 Must Comply With Margaret Carrasco's FOIA Request

The Waukegan Community School Unit District #60 has 7-days to release the information requested by Waukegan community activist Margaret Carrasco under the FOIA, according to the Illinois Attorney General's Office.

By H. Nelson Goodson

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

January 16, 2019

Waukegan, Illinois - On Wednesday, Teresa Lim, the Assistant Attorney General for the Public Access Bureau with the Illinois Attorney General's Office confirmed that the Waukegan Community School Unit District #60 must comply with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request submitted by Waukegan community activist Margaret Carrasco. On October 19, 2018, Carrasco under the FOIA filed a request with the Waukegan Community School Unit District #60 to release in pertinent part, copies of e-mails sent by or certain School District employees in electronic form for a specified time frame, but the School District claimed it would be burdensome to do so and denied Carrasco's request. Carrasco appealed to the Illinois Attorney General's Office, which agreed with her that she had a right to request the information that included e-mails between School District Superintendent Theresa A. Plascencia; Waukegan Community School Unit District #60 Board President Michael Rodriguez including Board Member Brando Erwing; Elisabeth Treviño, in the Human Resource office and Plascencia's secretary, Maria LaCour.

In late December, Plascencia and Rodriguez filed a frivolous lawsuit paid by the school district costing taxpayers at least $25,000 to prevent Carrasco from continuing to criticized them in Facebook posts, also claiming that Carrasco was defaming them including school district attorney Tom Morris at school district board meetings and making allegations of corruption from information that Carrasco had apparently acquired. Carrasco claims that Plascencia and Rodriguez shouldn't be in their positions, if they can't take public criticism from taxpayers. 

Carrasco is credited for successfully staging a protest against the school board for attempting to raise taxes. The School District #60 Board abandoned their attempt to raise taxes.

In November, Waukegan police investigated an alleged threatening and harassment complaint reported by Plascencia, the Waukegan Community School Unit District #60 Superintendent against education community activist Carrasco, which apparently turned out to be false, according to police. Plascencia has yet to be charged for making a false police report.