D-86 Schools Closed Thursday

HINSDALE, IL — Hinsdale High School District 86 is closing its schools Thursday because of a Hinsdale South student who may have been exposed to coronavirus. This decision affects Hinsdale Central, Hinsdale South and the Transition Center. The district's administration building will be open.

"By making this decision now, our students, staff and families will have additional time to plan accordingly in response to the closure," the district said in a statement late Wednesday night.

In addition to classes, all events and activities scheduled for Thursday have been canceled. The district plans to work with the Illinois High School Association to determine the status of the sectional semifinal basketball game between Hinsdale South and Benet Academy that was postponed Wednesday night, the statement said.

"While we would normally utilize a Remote Learning Day in this situation, the timing of the notification limited our ability to plan a productive e-learning experience for our students," Superintendent Tammy Prentiss said in the statement. "As a result, we will be using an emergency day tomorrow, and will work with our staff to prepare for the use of Remote Learning Days should we need to remain closed."

She said any decision to cancel school for an extended time would be decided with the help of the state Department of Public Health. "We will provide you with an update as soon as possible tomorrow," she said.

The family of the student who may have been exposed to coronavirus is still waiting to get results of the test for their child, the school said.

With little notice, the District 86 school board held an emergency meeting about the coronavirus at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Late in the afternoon Wednesday, District 181, which serves elementary and middle school students in Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills, announced it was canceling extracurricular events for the time being because of the virus. It said it would re-evaluate its decision next Thursday. District 181 said it has no confirmed coronavirus cases among students and staff.

Meanwhile, Elmhurst School District 205 is suspending field trips until further notice.

Coronavirus In Illinois: March 11 Update

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