Hinsdale South Students Upset With Board On Lunch Issue

DARIEN, IL – The Hinsdale High School District 86 board is getting heat from Hinsdale South students for not taking any action on a proposal to let students go off campus for lunch.

Over the last school year, South's student liaison to the board, Madeline LaPointe, has pushed for off-campus lunch. And South's principal, Patrick Hardy, said he favors the idea if the school limited it to seniors who have C's or better in their classes, conditions with which students appear to agree.

In a story this week in South's Stinger newspaper, student Natalia Vujovic reported that a civics class has advocated for off-campus lunch as a class project.

They have done research, sent emails, pooled resources and spoke at public meetings, but those efforts have been in vain, she said.

"Usually, when a group of people are elected to make decisions for a school, they should listen to the needs and wants of the people who elected them," Vujovic said. "I guess the board of District 86 likes to do things differently."

At the April 25 board meeting, off-campus lunch was on the agenda. But members complained they did not have details of the proposal.

Hardy, who is leaving for another principal job after this school year, said at the meeting that he sent the details to the two interim superintendents the previous week. He said he was frustrated the information wasn't attached to the meeting agenda.

Interim Superintendent Rebecca Nelson said she would get the relevant documents and include them in the board's agenda packet in May.

However, the issue is not on Thursday's agenda. The next scheduled meeting is May 30, which is when students are taking finals in the last days of the school year.

On Tuesday, South social studies teacher Emily Polacek posted Vujovic's story to the Facebook group, "D86 Strong," which has 2,800 members.

Polacek, who is a parent of a South student, also posted an unnamed student's message to the school board. The student said the student body understood that the board had no interest in discussing the issue during any May meeting.

The student said it seemed the board had "lied" to the students and that many were disappointed in the lack of openness.

LaPointe, the South student liaison, did not mention off-campus lunch in her written report for Thursday's meeting.

A message left late Tuesday afternoon with the school district's spokesman was not returned.

Currently, neither Hinsdale Central nor South allows off-campus lunch.