Safety Presentation
Representatives from the Hinsdale Police Department presented the board with the following information about the efforts being undertaken to implement the Illinois Law Enforcement Officer Body Worn Camera Act.
- The Hinsdale Police Department has issued body worn cameras to its sworn police officers, including those who are serving as school resource officers (SROs) for Hinsdale Central.
- Every law enforcement agency in Illinois will eventually be required to issue body worn cameras to their sworn police officers. They will also be required to comply with the legislation regarding their use.
- The police department has been working with the district and the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office to develop plans and policies regarding the use of the body cameras by SROs to ensure that we are in compliance with the law and communicating how and when the cameras will be utilized.
- Most of an SRO's daily activities will not be recorded. These activities include:
- Day-to-day interactions with students, staff and parents/guardians.
- Coaching or counseling.
- Any engagement in community caretaking functions that are not related to a crime or criminal investigation.
- School-related functions.
- Meetings or disciplinary hearings that are not subject to a criminal arrest, detention or complaint.
- There are some SRO activities that will need to be recorded. These activities include:
- Responding to a 911 call for service on campus.
- Investigating a criminal act, which includes documenting the initial response and any follow-up interviews with an offender.
- Responding to and/or acting upon an incident or situation for a law enforcement purpose.
- Any recordings made via the body worn cameras are housed at and remain the property of the Hinsdale Police Department. While these recordings are not generally subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), there are narrow circumstances under which videos can be released. For example, individuals who are the subject of an enforcement action may be able to obtain the recordings via FOIA.
- Records will not be disseminated for any non-law enforcement purpose other than to comply with any and all court-issued orders, subpoenas, or state and federal laws. However, footage may be released to District 86 pursuant to the Reciprocal Reporting Agreement with the police department and the statutory authority of the Illinois School Code, the Illinois Criminal Code and the Juvenile Court Act.
- The superintendent and police chief will meet on a quarterly basis to discuss any issues or concerns regarding the implementation of the body cameras.
Budget Hearing
The board held a public hearing about the budget for fiscal year 2022. During the hearing, the administration presented and the board discussed the proposed final budget. There was also an opportunity for community members to comment on the budget.
Good News
Principal Arwen Pokorny Lyp and Jim Kelly, who serves as the faculty sponsor for Hinsdale South's yearbook, congratulated student journalists from the school on their performance at the state tournament in April. The group took eighth place overall and finished in the top five in the following individual events:
- Jillian Marquardt - state runner up in the Review Writing event
- Meda Jonaityte - fourth place in the Photo Story Telling event
- Kristina Mijailovic - fourth place in the Yearbook Layout Double-Page Spread event
- Mia Yen - fifth place in the Yearbook Copy Writing event
After recognizing the student journalists for their accomplishments, Principal Pokorny introduced student liaison Jennifer Pantoni, who provided information from her board report. This report included:
- Highlights from the first day of school, including freshmen having the time and opportunity in the morning to get acclimated to the building.
- Details about the Back to School Bash for all students that was held in the stadium at the end of the first day.
- Student reactions to the upgrades and improvements that were made to the cafeteria, library and classrooms.
- Details about the Activities Fair that was held on Sept. 1 and the first SouthPride lesson of the year.
- Highlights from the first football game of the season, and a preview of the team's matchup versus Hinsdale Central on Sept. 17.
- Recap of the Freshman Parent Night and Curriculum Night held on Sept. 9.
- Details about the plans for homecoming.
Principal Bill Walsh from Hinsdale Central introduced student liaison Christine Leung, who provided information from her board report. This report included:
- Highlights from several events, including the Back to School Bash, Freshman First Day, Sophomore Social, Curriculum Night, Picture Day and the Kendall Pickering Invitational.
- Details about the first Flex Learning Day of the year, which was held on Sept. 15.
- Details about homecoming and the events being held in conjunction with it, which include the Powder Puff game and parade.
- Recap of the Activity Fair on Sept. 13 and updates from the Drama Club and Student Council.
- Accomplishments of several teams, including girls tennis, football, boys and girls golf, boys and girls cross country, girls volleyball, boys soccer, girls swimming and diving, poms and cheerleading.
Leung also shared feedback about air conditioning, construction and lunch. You can access her report by visiting
https://bit.ly/3AgogE4.
COVID-19 Operational Update
The administration provided the board with a COVID-19 update that included the following information.
- Data dashboard for the 2021-22 school year.
- DuPage County is currently in a high level of community transmission.
- Vaccinations in DuPage County - 70% of the county's eligible population (ages 12 or older) is fully vaccinated; 370,000 eligible residents remain unvaccinated.
- The health services departments for Hinsdale Central, Hinsdale South and the Transition Center are continuing to collect proof of vaccination for our students.
- Remain committed to the health and safety of students and employees.
- Maximize consistent in-person instruction based on the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), the DuPage County Health Department (DCHD) and the governor's office.
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Executive order about vaccination and testing requirements for school personnel issued by Governor Pritzker on Sept. 3.
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Remote learning guidance issued by ISBE on Aug. 31; impacts the working conditions section of the collective bargaining agreement with the Hinsdale High School Teachers Association (HHSTA).
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Revised public health guidance for schools issued by IDPH and ISBE on Aug. 9.
- The district's Recovery-Revitalization-Restore (R3) Committee reviewed and discussed these updates Sept. 7 and 13.
- Close contact
- Quarantine
- Test to Stay option
- Diagnostic and screening testing system - PCR test and rapid antigen test
- COVID-19 testing and screening (PCR and/or BinaxNow) for asymptomatic individuals.
- Employees who are not fully vaccinated. Per the executive order issued by the governor on Sept. 3, these individuals must get tested for COVID-19 on a weekly basis.
- Unvaccinated students who are participating in athletics, activities or school events.
- Students who are identified as a close contact and elect to participate in the Test-to-Stay protocol.
- Those who wish to reduce the length of their quarantine.
- COVID-19 testing and screening (BinaxNow Rapid) for symptomatic individuals.
- Administered to any student or staff member who is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
- Continue to monitor guidance (e.g., vaccination, face coverings, lunch, social distancing, quarantining, etc.) from DCHD, IDPH and ISBE.
- Impact bargain the remote learning guidance with HHSTA.
- Begin the rollout of the testing program with Northshore Clinical Labs upon approval of the contract.
- Continue to provide the community and board with updates.
District 86 Food Service Program
The administration presented the board with options for operating the district's food service program during the 2021-22 school year. The impetus for this presentation was the recent announcement by ISBE that the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) program will be available to all school districts for the entire year. SSO is a national program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that offers healthy meals to students free of charge.
Below is the information that was shared with the board.
- History of the district's food service program.
- Prior to March 2020, the district operated a traditional food service program and did not participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). This enabled the district to customize our program.
- In March 2020, the district began participating in the Summer Food Service Program, which was funded by the USDA and featured a meal pattern that followed the NSLP.
- The district terminated our participation in the Summer Food Service Program at the start of the 2021-22 school year and resumed our traditional food service program.
- Seamless Summer Option (SSO) program.
- On Sept. 9, ISBE announced that all school districts are eligible to participate in the SSO program for the entire year.
- The SSO program was created to provide students who rely on the NSLP or School Breakfast Program (SBP) with access to meals during the summer.
- If the district participates in the SSO program, all students will eat breakfast and lunch for free. The program would require that the meal pattern be based on the NSLP and SBP; that snacks and beverages be based on the Smart Snack Guidelines; that meals feature whole grain breads and pastas; that fried foods be eliminated from the menus; and that vending machines be turned off during the school day (starting an hour before the school day begins and concluding an hour after the school day ends).
- Five vegetable groups: dark green, red/orange, beans/peas (legumes), starchy and other.
- Grains and meat or meat alternatives have daily and weekly minimum and maximum servings.
- All grains must be whole grain-rich (includes all snacks).
- Daily calories have a minimum and maximum.
- Unflavored milk 1% or fat free; flavored milk fat free.
- Calories from saturated fat limited to 10% or less.
- Sodium restrictions.
- Traditional food service program details.
- Only students who are eligible for free meals eat for free.
- No meal pattern requirements, snack restrictions or grain restrictions.
- Wide variety of snacks and beverages are available.
At the end of the presentation, the administration requested direction from the board on the following three options.
- Enroll in the SSO program.
- Overall impact on the budget would be negligible. A pass-through would be created so that the district can be reimbursed by USDA.
- Continue with the traditional food service program as is, which is reflected in the current budget.
- Continue the traditional food service program, but offer expanded access to free meals.
- The budgetary impact is difficult to predict at this time because doing so would require details about implementation and day-to-day food choices.
- ESSER funds could potentially be used to pay for this option.
The board provided its direction during the portion of the meeting dedicated to action items. That information is located further down in this document.
Supporting Students in Quarantine and Isolation
The administration presented the board with the following information about the district's efforts to meet the needs of students who must quarantine or isolate in accordance with the COVID-19 guidance issued by IDPH, ISBE and DCHD.
- Customization of student supports.
- Providing additional staff support.
- Personalized contact with the Quarantine Isolated Student Support Team (QISST)
- Preparing students for a seamless reentry back to school.
- Details about the additional staff members hired to support students.
- Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South each hired a certified teacher, social worker and paraprofessional to support students who are struggling academically, socially or emotionally.
- Same staff members are serving on QISST and providing individualized, wraparound support to every student who is quarantined or isolated if they are not cleared in two days or less.
- Other responsibilities include:
- Working with students to finish their outstanding credit recovery.
- Meeting with students in small groups to provide additional social work services.
- Organizing small groups that are working on executive functioning.
- Making schedule changes to move students into supported study halls.
- Collaborating with core department interventionists to identify students who have skill deficits and facilitate pushing into classes to provide support and assess skill growth.
- Meeting with and checking in on students who were remote during the 2020-21 school year and shared that they were uneasy about returning to an in-person environment.
- Communication with students who are quarantined or isolated.
- Within two school days of being notified by the building's health office, QISST emails students and their parents/ guardians to introduce themselves, assess the needs of the students and share that the classroom teacher is the primary point of contact for all school work. The team also provides a tip sheet for navigating quarantine/isolation and a work log template to help students get organized.
- Calls home to check in with the family.
- Reaches out to teachers to get modified work if the student is not physically well enough to complete the work assigned in class.
- Caters supports to individual student needs.
- Initial student supports.
- Access to on-demand, synchronous intervention in core content areas (i.e., English, math, science, social studies and world languages).
- Designated periods for virtual drop-in tutoring conducted by content area teachers.
- As shared above, providing a log so students can organize their asynchronous work, and contacting teachers to request modified work if necessary.
- Help facilitating communication between the students and their teachers.
- Help navigating the Quarantine Infographic - keep a routine, create a quiet work/study space, use coping skills, stay connected and ask for help.
- Complete a check-in at the midway point to get feedback from the student about their ability to complete asynchronous work while being quarantined or isolated, their status from a social and emotional standpoint, and their thoughts about coming back to school. This helps QISST provide individualized supports.
- Calls home to support students who express a need for assistance or who are struggling to keep up with their work.
- Supports for students who are having a difficult time with quarantine or isolation.
- Access to additional on-demand, synchronous intervention in core content areas.
- Designated periods for virtual drop-in interventions provided by content area teachers.
- Calls home or Zoom sessions to help answer questions.
- Social and emotional check-in with a QISST member or counselor about returning to school or anxiety about being quarantined or isolated.
- Work modification due to symptoms of COVID-19.
- Help with executive functioning skills and organization.
- Facilitation of communication with teachers.
- Development of a support plan for students when they are back in the building.
- Wraparound services and supports for students who are returning to school.
- Supported study hall.
- Help with organization.
- Help balancing workload, including make-up tests.
- Push-in and pull-out interventionist support.
- Counseling with the QISST social worker.
Committee Reports
Members of the Human Resources Committee provided the board with a report from their meeting on Sept. 7. During this meeting, the committee:
- Discussed staff vaccination rates and testing plans. At the time of the meeting, 93% of regular employees had provided proof of vaccination. There were 42 staff members who had not provided proof or stated that they were not vaccinated. These individuals were informed of the requirements for participating in weekly testing. Plans are in place to manage compliance with the testing mandate by ancillary staff (e.g., coaches, substitutes, contracted staff, etc).
- Reviewed staff work plans for potential school or building closures due to weather, other emergencies or a requirement by the health department.
- Learned that the employee handbook for educational support personnel is being updated.
In addition to receiving the report mentioned above, the board voted to release the draft minutes from this meeting as part of the consent agenda.
First Reading of Policy 8:25
Consent Agenda
The board approved the consent agenda as amended. The consent agenda includes personnel, stipends, board bills and meeting minutes. Please visit https://bit.ly/3kdt9Ii to access the consent agenda items beginning under number nine.
Toward the end of the meeting, the board approved the two items that were pulled from the consent agenda for a separate vote. These items were 12.1 (Emotion Management Consultation Agreement) and 12.2 (Termination of Professional Services Agreement with Anew Collective Consulting, LLC and Saxman Consulting LLC).
Approve the Budget for Fiscal Year 2022
The board approved the final budget for fiscal year 2022.
Approve a Resolution Authorizing Fund Transfers
The board approved a resolution that will allow for the completion of any necessary fund transfers during fiscal year 2022. You can access additional information about this agenda item by visiting https://bit.ly/2Xwa3ES.
Approve Contract with Northshore Clinical Labs
The board approved a contract with Northshore Clinical Labs to provide on-site COVID-19 testing services for students, staff and community members. Northshore will replace SHIELD, which was unable to find a third party health vendor to help with testing.
Approve the Option for the District 86 Food Service Program for the 21-22 School Year
The board approved the option of continuing the traditional food service program, but offering expanded access to free meals. This option will be available to all District 86 students from Sept. 20 to Nov. 30. At the end of this time period, the board will discuss whether to continue with this option or pursue a different one.
Approve an Agreement with ReferralGPS
The board approved an agreement with ReferralGPS that will provide District 86 families with access to resources, services and supports that are aimed at addressing mental health and substance abuse issues.
Board President's Report
Prior to audience communication, Board President Terri Walker stated that the district's equity work will continue despite the termination of the agreement with Anew Collective Consulting, LLC and Saxman Consulting LLC. She shared that the administration will be seeking another consultant who can help advance this work. She also announced that the Culture and Equity Leadership Team (CELT) meeting scheduled for Sept. 15 would be held on Sept. 23.
Board President Walker thanked the board liaisons for their reports during the meeting, and said that she looks forward to getting to know them this year.
In addition, Board President Walker mentioned that she met with a group of teachers about the district's equity work, and shared how great it was to hear their perspectives and learn about their experiences.
Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Tammy Prentiss shared that the district and Jewel-Osco organized a flu shot clinic for employees. She thanked the company for its continued support and partnership.
Superintendent Prentiss also mentioned that her most recent Wednesday Walk-Throughs took place on the district's first Flex Learning Day of the year, and featured visits to the spaces where teachers were discussing equity practices in grading.
ATSB and IMRF Reports
In accordance with the Illinois School Code and Open Meetings Act, the administration provided the board with the teacher and administrator salary and benefits (ATSB) report and the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) report. You can access these reports by visiting https://bit.ly/3kihA2O.
Operational Calendar and Future Agenda Items
The board reviewed and discussed its operational calendar for the year. It also talked about possible agenda items for future meetings, including:
- Receiving a presentation about the district's grading practices at a future meeting. No date was set for this presentation.
- Revisiting the practice of letting people submit audience communication electronically. The board decided to discuss this issue during its session with the Illinois Association of School Boards in October.
