Coronavirus: Nearly All D-86 Students Taking Part

HINSDALE, IL — Nearly all students in District 86's Hinsdale Central and South high schools are taking part in remote learning, a top district official says. The schools are checking on attendance every period, so it finds out quickly when students miss lessons, said David Lapetino, District 86's instructional innovation coordinator. The districtwide attendance rate is averaging in the high 90s, he said.

"Teachers are reaching out to students on a day-to-day basis," Lapetino said in an interview Tuesday. "I don't have access to information where there are specific students who aren't doing anything, but I don't think we're running into situations like that."

But he said with "kids being kids working from home," some may be not as engaged as they usually are, Lapetino said.

"We are trying to apply all of the same outreach strategies that we do when we're normally in session," Lapetino said. "The dean takes the first step, runs an attendance report the following day. We see which students are absent and which ones are chronically truant. That starts the ball rolling as far as outreach."

Guidance counselors also get involved in contacting students and parents, part of a process that ensures schools are not missing anyone, Lapetino said.

Lapetino said the district is in its second full year of having a computer assigned to every student. That makes it easier for teachers to keep track of what students are doing and notify parents about problems, he said.

Technologically, other than brief issues among internet providers with heavy usage, Lapetino said, "We've been fortunate enough to avoid any major outages so far."

"Teachers and students have shown a great degree of flexibility during this time, quickly pivoting to alternative options when tools they had planned on using haven’t been 'cooperating,'" Lapetino said in an email.

District 86's enrollment is more than 4,000.

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