South Principal Backs Off-Campus Lunch

HINSDALE, IL – A student leader at Hinsdale South High School asked the school board last week to support off-campus lunch for seniors. And the principal agreed with the proposal.

At Thursday's school board meeting, senior Madeline LaPointe, South's student liaison to the board, said an overwhelming majority of students backed off-campus lunch for seniors, an idea reflected in her written report to the board.

"There are restaurants within walking distance of the school that are completely doable to walk within the 50-minute period and get back in time," she said. "I believe that would be feasible."

Board President Catherine Greenspon asked how LaPointe felt about a minimum grade requirement for those eligible to go off campus

LaPointe said she favored both grade and behavioral thresholds.

Greenspon then said she understood the motivation behind a grade requirement. But she said consideration should be given to students who may never be able to meet the minimum.

"They would be completely excluded from off-campus lunch consideration," she said. "That, to me, is unfair."

Principal Patrick Hardy said he wanted the minimum grade requirement to stick. Students whose grades are too low should attend mandated "lunchtime interventions," rather than go off campus. Under the program, these students can eat their lunch while getting academic assistance.

"If we allow students who are not meeting the minimum grade requirements to be on track to graduate to actually leave during intervention time, we're actually hurting ourselves as a school that is trying to make a move academically and really push," Hardy said. "We want them to be available during the interventions. They can always earn the privilege as their grades rise, but we think the academics come first."

He said the school should not let students who are falling behind go off campus to get a burger during lunch.

"You need to be in the intervention times. We're going to hold to that," he said. "That has to be a priority. And we think that is a valuable lesson for them to learn."

At the same time, Hardy, who said students could attest he is a strict principal, said he was for allowing off-campus lunch for grade-eligible seniors. He said he was confident they could handle the responsibility.

"We don't have guarantees against anything. But they have earned this opportunity to try," the principal said. "I don't think we're way out of bounds from what other high schools are doing. And we have the location and the geography to pull it off."

Board member Kay Gallo said she was "totally behind this."