Illinois Appellate Court
Civil Court
School Districts
Petitioners filed detachment petition with Regional Board of School Trustees to detach subdivision from two school districts and have area annexed into two different districts. Regional Board entered Order granting petition for detachment, but court reversed Order, finding that Petitioners had not filed enough valid signatures to confer jurisdiction on Board. As Board’s decision was not based on live testimony but on exact record presented to appellate court, de novo review is proper. Signatures which used initials for first names or both first and last names, or which did not give any first names, were not in substantial compliance with School Code requirement that signatures on petition match those on voter registration cards. (HUTCHINSON, concurring and specially concurring; BIRKETT, specially concurring.)