Oak Park and River Forest High School filed suit in county court May 31 to extract itself from the process to dissolve the Cicero Township Trustees of Schools.
In the suit, the school alleges at least $400,000 is missing from the township treasurer’s accounts and asserts the township will spend $1 million or more to audit and correct errors in its books.
The suit also asks the court for an order of mandamus to force the township to transfer OPRF’s financial, real estate and all other assets back to the district. The court would oversee the process.
William B. Sullivan, president of the Cicero Township Trustees of Schools board, would not comment on the suit on the advice of counsel.”Now that litigation is involved, there is little that can be said other than that this is obviously a very complex situation with many competing interests,” Kay Foran, OPRF spokeswoman, said in a statement.
The Cicero body will be dissolved as the result of an April referendum. OPRF is cutting ties with the township as a result of a state law passed in January.