District U-46 is moving forward with the purchase of two vacant properties on Elgin’s east side and may join a national lawsuit that accuses social media of harmful marketing practices aimed at youth.
The paperwork needed to buy 5.4 acres south of Slade Avenue, a site previously used for former Sherman Hospital parking, and 12.3 acres at 2604 Rohrssen Road, adjacent to Hilltop Elementary School, is being finalized for approval, U-46 Chief of Staff Brian Lindholm said at Monday night’s School Board meeting.
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“We view (the former hospital land) as a great potential new location for McKinley Elementary School, which is just across the street (from the site),” Lindholm said.
McKinley was built in 1887 and earmarked for replacement by the Unite U-46 Committee last year when seeking voter approval to issue $179 million in school building bonds. Passage of the referendum is allowing U-46 to move ahead with a proposed $310 million to $380 million facilities master plan that includes replacing some outdated school buildings.
The Rohrssen Road property was previously owned by the Archdiocese of Chicago.
“We view this property as a strategic acquisition of a large parcel of land with an Elgin address, not located along busy roads and potentially a site to build a new middle school,” Lindholm said.
The district’s ongoing due diligence includes conducting environmental studies and working with the city on any needed zoning changes, he said.
Purchase prices for the two properties were not disclosed.
The school board approved letters of intent to purchase the two parcels in July, and earlier this year did the same for the former Sherman Hospital campus on Center Street. It’s not known if the district is still interested in buying that 14-acre site.
Social media suit
The board also was briefed Monday about the possibility that U-46 could join a lawsuit filed against several social media companies, including Meta Platforms, Facebook Holdings, Snap Inc, TikTok and Alphabet (Google).
“Frantz Law Group of California currently represents more than 300 school districts across the country in a mass litigation against social media companies,” U-46 Assistant Attorney Erika Washington said.
The litigation is based on the argument that social media is a public nuisance stemming from the alleged harm it causes due to its engagement and marketing practices, she said.
An injunction being sought would order social media companies to change their youth marketing strategies and any money awarded in damages would be used to offset costs associated with the alleged harms, such as things related to discipline and counseling, Washington said.
If the district moves forward, Chicago-based law firm of Franczek P.C. would act as local co-counsel and the district required to complete a standard questionnaire to participate, she said.
However, U-46 could also serve as a bellwether in which social media’s impact of on its students would serve as a case study or prototype in the case, Washington said. That would mean a lot more involvement, she said.
If the suit is successful, lawyers would get 25% of any monetary settlement or recovery obtained for U-46, which would not have to pay for the legal work, she said.
A decision on joining the case will be made by the board at its Sept. 11 meeting.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.