Hinsdale 86 Rejects Going Entirely Remote

HINSDALE, IL — In a 4-3 vote, the Hinsdale High School District 86 board on Thursday rejected the superintendent's recommendation to go entirely remote for two weeks.

Officials said Hinsdale Central and South are among the few area high schools that are still offering in-person learning. A quarter of District 86 students go onto campus each day.

Reversing itself from a week ago, District 86's administration proposed an "adaptive pause" as coronavirus cases surge in the suburbs. Other districts, including Elmhurst's, have also begun such two-week pauses, but they ended up lasting much longer.

In its vote, the board split along gender lines. Board President Kevin Camden and members Keith Chval, Erik Held and Marty Turek rejected the adaptive pause, while members Kathleen Hirsman, Tamakia Edwards and Cynthia Hanson backed it.

Chval said it's important that students have consistency, rather than switching back and forth between schedules.

"I'm strongly in favor of letting kids go in," he said.

Hirsman, though, said she had to go with what administrators were saying, especially given that she doesn't have children in the schools. She disagreed with arguments that if the district went into a two-week pause, it would end up staying entirely remote.

"I would think there's a better chance to come back if we do the adaptive pause," she said.

In a mass email Friday, Superintendent Tammy Prentiss said the pandemic has forced everyone to wrestle both personally and professionally about doing "the right thing."

"What we have come to realize is that there are no easy answers or simple solutions when trying to navigate a global pandemic that has disrupted every aspect of our lives and left us feeling physically and mentally exhausted," Prentiss said.

Just a week ago, board President Camden announced District 86 was sticking with a blend of in-person and remote learning through the end of the semester.