Opinion ID: 2166487
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: policymaking

Text: By allowing the school district to raise directly the immunity defense afforded to its employees under the Act, the majority has also circumvented a bedrock principle of section 2-201 immunity. In order to be immune under section 2-201, the policymaking decisions must be decisions that require the employee `to balance competing interests and to make a judgment call as to what solution will best serve each of those interests.' Harinek v. 161 North Clark Street Ltd. Partnership, 181 Ill.2d 335, 342, 230 Ill.Dec. 11, 692 N.E.2d 1177 (1998), quoting West v. Kirkham, 147 Ill.2d 1, 11, 167 Ill.Dec. 974, 588 N.E.2d 1104 (1992). Under the majority's decision, it will never be necessary for a public entity to present evidence that such reasoned deliberation was undertaken. In fact, it will not be necessary for the public entity to show that it even considered the issue at all. Any decision made by a municipal employee whose responsibilities include the determination of policy will be automatically immune from liability. Such blanket immunity is certainly not contemplated by the Act. Harinek, 181 Ill.2d at 355, 230 Ill.Dec. 11, 692 N.E.2d 1177 (Harrison, J., dissenting). I acknowledge that it would be unduly burdensome for a public entity to support every one of its policymaking decisions with evidence of an involved deliberative process. Nonetheless, the importance of the particular issue at hand simply necessitates that the school district somehow demonstrate that there was an affirmative decision not to provide safety equipment for a school-related athletic activity. Otherwise, by conferring blanket immunity to public entities, we will be encouraging school districts and other public entities to take no action concerning a whole host of important safety issues.