Hinsdale Central Teacher Disciplined

HINSDALE, IL – A Hinsdale Central High School teacher was given a "notice of remedial warning" last week.

At its meeting last Thursday, the Hinsdale High School District 86 board voted 6-0 to issue the warning to science teacher Eric Jensen. Member Debbie Levinthal abstained from the vote.

The board did not give the reason for the warning. Patch emailed Levinthal to ask why she abstained, but she did not return the message.

In an interview Thursday, Jensen said he was referred to administration after he signed a girl's yearbook "shmo." He said she caught him while he was carrying a computer and other items.

He said he was referring to "Joe Schmo," but spelled it wrong.

"It meant nothing. It was a non-sequitur," Jensen said.

But it turns out that friends of the girl brought the message to officials' attention, Jensen said. According to the Urban Dictionary, "shmo" means "dumb person."

"I didn't know that was the definition in the Urban Dictionary. Other adults I have talked to didn't know either," Jensen said.

He expressed wonder that the message was the reason he was referred to the school board for remediation.

Jensen said there was a previous incident involving him in which administrators warned that they would go to the board if something else happened. He declined to describe the other incident.

"This is the something else that happened. I was dumbfounded," he said. "If I sneeze wrong next year, then I'm out."

Jensen said he will start his 25th year with the district in August. He said teachers and administrators should focus their energies on helping students with their stress and returning things to normal after the pandemic.

Patch filed a public records request for documents related to the board's action.

In the 2020-21 school year, Jensen's salary was $136,000.