An Unexpected 'Circus' In Hinsdale D-86

HINSDALE, IL — Three of Hinsdale High School District 86's buildings were struck with unexpected issues last week, in what one official called a "circus."

Hinsdale Central was closed Thursday because of a power outage caused by a blown ComEd transformer, according to the district. This required teachers to switch to remote lesson plans for students that day.

The district's Transition Center in Burr Ridge suffered a water problem, caused by a power issue. And Hinsdale South dealt with an unexpected fire alarm and a power outage during PSAT testing, officials said. South's outage was the result of a separate transformer issue.

Superintendent Tammy Prentiss said the district's director of operations, Jason Oskorep, probably worked 100 hours last week while dealing with the issues.

"He never left until the job was finished," she said at Thursday's school board meeting.

Board member Debbie Levinthal compared the situation to the 1987 movie "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," but said a better title would be "Power, Plumbing and a Little Bit of an Explosion."

"I think it was handled really well," she said.

Another member, Jeff Waters, referred to the issues as a "circus." He thanked Prentiss and other officials, saying they kept the board informed.