When a Public Meeting Is Open
5 ILCS 120/2 — open unless an exception applies, and no final action behind closed doors
All meetings of public bodies are open to the public unless a listed exception applies and the meeting is closed as the Act requires. The exceptions are strictly construed, and they allow a closed meeting without requiring one.
Who handles this in Illinois: legal aid programs, lawyer referral and the state offices, listed in the Illinois directory.
- The employment, discipline, performance or dismissal of specific employees.
- Pending litigation, or litigation the body finds probable or imminent, with the basis recorded in the closed meeting minutes.
- The placement of individual students in special education, and other matters about individual students.
Final action is public. No final action may be taken at a closed meeting, and final action is preceded by a public recital of the nature of the matter being considered.
Sources for this section (1)
- 5 ILCS 120/2 — Open meetings
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Illinois attorney.