District 86 Treats South And Central Equally: Lawyers

HINSDALE, IL — Hinsdale South High School's students are offered equal access to educational opportunities and its parent district is complying with school equity rules, the district's lawyers say. They were asked to respond to parents' concerns that Hinsdale High School District 86 was violating equal access rules.

At Thursday's school board meeting, representative of the law firm, Arlington Heights-based Hodges, Loizzi, Eisenhammer, Rodick & Kohn LLP, noted South's district included more students of color than the wealthier Hinsdale Central. But it said no evidence exists that attendance boundaries were drawn, set up, changed or gerrymandered to separate students by race or filter more students of color to South.

In 1991, the school district established a small attendance buffer zone, which may have played a role in an enrollment imbalance that resulted in an attendance decline at south. This zone was an area mainly in Darien and Willowbrook, where families could choose whether to send their children to Central or South. Central was the favorite by far. In the 2018-19 school year, for instance, of the 221 students in the zone, just 15 percent went to South.

In 2018, the school board voted for a phased-in elimination of the buffer zone. The effect of that change will be seen in the coming years.

According to the law firm, the Office of Civil Rights found the elimination of buffer zone has had little or no impact on students of color.

Some parents contend South students get fewer course offerings because enrollment has steadily declined for a quarter century compared to Central.

But the firm said the district has gauged student interest as the basis for selecting and maintaining sports and activities at each school. Students are allowed to take classes at the other school if it is not offered at their own, the firm said. They must find their own transportation, though.

"There is no evidence that a bigger school is better than a smaller school," the firm said in its presentation.

Reasons in favor of a smaller school include class size and the chances of making a cut in a sport or activity, the firm said.

Earlier this week, Patch emailed the board's president, Kevin Camden, asking what the law firm was asked to do with its presentation, including whether it was expected to defend the district's actions. Camden referred the inquiry to the school district's spokesman, Chris Jasculca, who noted the concerns parents have expressed about unequal opportunities.

The school district is a regular client of the law firm, which has billed the district nearly $200,000 for a variety of legal services over the last five months.