District 86 Official Leaving Amid Unclear Circumstances

HINSDALE, IL — After a closed session Thursday, the Hinsdale High School District 86 board voted unanimously to accept the resignation of its human resources official, effective Sept. 15. Mid-afternoon, the school board held a special meeting for the purpose of Chief Human Resource Officer Domenico Maniscalco's departure.

Members met behind closed doors for about 25 minutes to discuss the issue. It was unclear why the board needed to hold a meeting outside its normal schedule for a resignation three months away.

After the board's vote on Maniscalco's resignation, board President Kevin Camden said, "We wish him well and thank him for his service to the district." Members met remotely because of the pandemic.

Minutes after the meeting ended, the district released a statement from Superintendent Tammy Prentiss praising Maniscalco, who has headed human resources for the district for nearly seven years.

According to her statement, the district plans to fill the human resources position on an interim basis while it conducts a formal search for a permanent replacement. It was left unclear why the district would need to fill the position on an interim basis when Maniscalco's resignation is months away.

District spokesman Chris Jasculca declined to answer Patch's questions, saying the district's comments would be limited to its statement.

In the statement, Prentiss, who took over as superintendent last year, called Maniscalco a "trusted colleague and valuable member of our team."

"His hard work and dedicated service during his time in District 86 have had a profound and lasting impact on the success of our students, staff and schools," Prentiss said. "I want to thank him for everything he has done on behalf of our district and community, and wish him all the best in his future endeavors."

Maniscalco couldn't be reached for immediate comment. When Patch emailed Maniscalco's school email, it received an automatic reply stating that Maniscalco would be unavailable until Monday, Oct. 28. Oct. 28 was on a Monday in 2019, but not this year.

According to Maniscalco's LinkedIn page, he started with the school district in November 2013. He was a senior human resources manager at Niles Township High School District 219 from 2009 to 2013, a human resources associate partner with United Airlines from 2007 to 2010, and assistant store manager and human resources manager at an H&M store from 2004 to 2007.

A few months ago, Maniscalco made the news when he investigated a Hinsdale South High School's teacher's alleged racial slurs during a Black History Month "Empathy" lesson.

"It is my finding that you made an extremely bad judgment call and did not properly hear or listen to your students that day," Maniscalco said in a memo to the teacher.