Hinsdale D-86 May Let Out Early On Wednesdays

DARIEN, IL – Hinsdale High School District 86 is considering doing away with late start Mondays and replacing them with early release Wednesdays.

Under a district proposal, school would let out at 1 p.m. most Wednesdays, two hours earlier than usual.

As with late start Mondays, this would give teachers time to collaborate with their peers and help students with their assignments, according to the district.

On Thursday night, officials told the school board that students often forget which Mondays start later, despite notices. Only weeks with five school days start later on Mondays.

As a result of the confusion, tardiness spikes on Mondays without late starts, officials said.

One problem with releasing students early on Wednesdays is that students would wait two hours until practices for sports start.

But officials told the board they have more security personnel on hand than they used to. That makes it possible to have students on campus until sports start, they said.

The officials also said it's more likely students will seek extra help from teachers after school ends rather than before it starts.

Some board members wanted to get more feedback from families before making the change.

"You've been talking about this as a leadership team. This is the first time the community has heard about it," member Peggy James said.

Administrators argued the proposal would make scheduling more consistent, but member Jeff Waters said he would "beg to differ." He said parents may have to pick up students at the end of school, then for later sports.

Board member Kathleen Hirsman said she liked the idea of early release Wednesdays because more students would seek help from teachers.

"I view that intervention as a strong positive," she said.

Member Debbie Levinthal also indicated support.

"I see the reason for it," she said. "It's not out of the ordinary at our peer districts. It's how we execute it and transition to it."

The district had hoped for a decision from the board in two weeks, but Waters requested a delay until April to give time for families to weigh in.

Assistant Superintendent Chris Covino said the district could do that.