Good News
Principal Bill Walsh from Hinsdale Central shared that junior Shivani Rao was invited to present at the American Society of Hematology's Annual Meeting and Exposition, which was held virtually in early December. The focus of her presentation was the
study about blood types and COVID-19 severity that she conducted with Dr. Shivi Jain from Rush University Medical Center.
Principal Arwen Pokorny Lyp from Hinsdale South congratulated the school's speech team on taking fifth place in the highly competitive Glenbard West Topper Tourney on Jan. 9.
Strategic Plan Update
Members of the teams who are working on Goals 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the district’s strategic plan provided the board with an update on the status of their efforts to date. This update included:
- A reminder about the goals and strategies that make up the strategic plan.
- Information about the district's Culture and Equity Leadership Team (CELT).
- Composed of students, parents/guardians, teachers, staff, administrators, board members and external facilitators.
- Held its first meeting on July 7.
- Drafted an equity statement for the district that was finalized on Jan. 13, 2021 and can be accessed by visiting https://bit.ly/3oJRK7q. This statement will guide the critical work we are doing in conjunction with our strategic plan to help ensure that each of our students has what they need to meet their learning and well-being requirements. Through this work, we will strive to:
- Make and support significant shifts in mindset and practice to provide and sustain equitable outcomes for all students so that they may pursue their ideal future.
- Listen and learn from our students, staff and community, and acknowledge the importance of seeing, hearing and celebrating different identities in our curriculum, programs, pathways and school experiences.
- Eliminate opportunity and achievement gaps.
- Identify and address personal and institutional bias and barriers.
- Provide strategies to ensure that students of all races and cultures have equitable access to diverse educators, rigorous instruction, rich learning opportunities, social/emotional, academic and community supports, and resources to ensure success.
- Accomplishments by all five goal areas during the 2019-20 school year.
- Goal 1 - Student Growth and Achievement
- Goal 2 - Learning Environment
- Goal 3 - Work Environment
- Goal 4 - Family and Community Connections
- Goal 5 - Resources
- Initiatives that all five goal areas are working on during the 2020-21 school year.
- Goal 1 - Student Growth and Achievement
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Goal 2 - Learning Environment
- Goal 3 - Work Environment
- Goal 4 - Family and Community Connections
- Goal 5 - Resources
Return to School Update
The administration provided the board with an update on the district’s return to school plan. This update included:
- A reminder about the steps involved in the district's responsive approach to in-person instruction.
- COVID-19 data for the district and communities we serve. As of Jan. 8, there were 28 confirmed positive cases in the district, 41 people in isolation and 23 people in quarantine. There have also been a total of 232 positive cases in the district since the start of the 2020-21 school year.
- Reflections on first semester.
- Shift to remote and hybrid instructional models impacted students, teachers and parents/guardians in different ways.
- Given the priority and focus on maintaining a continuity of robust instruction, efforts were undertaken to: increase the opportunities for student-teacher interaction, increase the number of students attending school in person, increase the opportunities for students who were struggling to receive interventions and support, and better recognize and understand what students, teachers and families need to be successful and feel physically and emotionally safe.
- Incomplete and no grade (NG) were used as options for first semester in response to and recognition of the various issues and challenges students have faced during the pandemic.
- Incomplete - Students who were missing a few core assignments and/or assessments received an incomplete. They have until Jan. 22 to submit their missing work from first semester, at which point incompletes will be converted to final grades or changed to NGs. Receiving an NG may necessitate repeating the course.
- NG - Students who experienced a significant hardship and/or did not complete enough work to enable us to determine whether they demonstrated basic proficiency received an NG, which means they did not get credit for the class. Seniors who receive NGs will be assigned to an Edgenuity course to help them earn the credit they need for graduation. Students in grades nine through 11 will be allowed to retake the course during a future semester without it impacting their GPA.
- A summary of the final grades issued at both schools for first semester, and a comparison of the data for this year versus last year.
- A reminder about the hybrid and lunch schedules for second semester, as well as the instructional calendar for this month.
- A reminder about the updated protocols and accommodations for Zoom and in-person lunch during second semester.
- Summary of the instructional models students and their families selected or were assigned to for second semester.
- Hybrid - 2,117 students across the district.
- Starting remote with the option of switching to hybrid - 1,460 students across the district.
- Staying remote for the rest of the school year - 280 students across the district.
- Everyday - This cohort is composed of students from our Foundations, DHH and HAVEN programs, as well as individuals that our student support teams recommended based on IEP/504, academic and SEL needs.
- Review of the process that the families of students who are starting remote can use one time per month to switch to the hybrid model during second semester. The next opportunity for these students to resume in-person instruction will be Feb. 8 (will receive an email notification the week of Jan. 25 and must respond by Feb. 1).
- Information about the professional development activities teachers participated in during the remote planning days on Jan. 4 and 5.
- Assessment in the Hybrid Classroom
- Teaching and Intervention in the Hybrid/Block Classroom
- Optimizing Canvas Courses for Hybrid Instruction
- Collaboration and Discussion in the Hybrid Classroom
- ELL - Oracy in the Hybrid Classroom
- SEL/Executive Functioning - Second Semester Reset
- Monitoring for updates from IDPH and IHSA about the resumption of athletics and activities.
- Principals and activities directors are working with student groups on preliminary plans for Class of 2021 celebrations, including prom and graduation.
- Status update on the Superintendent’s Task Force that will be working on the planning and implementation of a saliva testing system.
- Updates on employee vaccinations.
- Planning for school in the fall of 2021.
Award Bid Package 52 (Fire Suppression Systems at Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South)
The board awarded Bid Package 52 (Fire Suppression Systems at Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South) to Automatic Fire Systems, Inc. at Hinsdale Central for an amount not to exceed $129,387 and Nelson Fire Protection at Hinsdale South for an amount not to exceed $182,390.
Approve Project Authorization to Pepper Construction
The board approved the authorization of the Phase 2, Bid Period 3 projects to Pepper Construction in the amount of $49,528,759. These projects were approved during the board meeting on Nov. 19.
Committee Reports
Members of the Human Resources Committee provided the board with a report from their meeting on Jan. 5. During the meeting, the committee discussed:
- COVID-related staffing accommodations for second semester.
- The quarantine period for students and staff. DuPage County Health Department is maintaining the 14-day period, but could shift to the shorter one (seven to 10 days) that was established by the CDC and adopted by IDPH if the positivity rate in Illinois decreases.
- Vaccinations. The district's physical therapists, occupational therapists, SLPs, nurses and school psychologists are currently eligible to sign up for the COVID-19 vaccination. It is anticipated that vaccinations for teachers and other educators will be available in the near future.
- Staffing for the 2021-22 school year, which is anticipated to remain relatively flat. The process will begin following student course selection in January and February. Sectioning will occur in February, and a preliminary recommendation will be submitted to the committee in March prior to being presented to the board.
- Title IX sexual harassment training for staff, which will be rolling out in the coming months. The district is also working with a consultant to provide enhanced staff training in the areas of social media and communication during second semester.
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.
Consent Agenda
The board approved the consent agenda as presented. The consent agenda includes personnel, stipends, board bills and meeting minutes. Please visit
http://bit.ly/3bCdn65 to access the consent agenda items beginning under number eight.
Approve Policies on Second Read
The board conducted a second reading and approved the following policies and exhibit:
Board President’s Report
Board President Kevin Camden shared that the district needs to be methodical and strategic when it comes to updating or adjusting our return to school plan based on the availability and distribution of vaccinations. He said that he believes the vaccination process will take time to complete.
President Camden also shared his hope for 2021 that the district can continue to be a positive and productive partner for our peers in education and the community as a whole.
Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Tammy Prentiss mentioned how great it is to have students and staff back in the buildings.
Superintendent Prentiss talked about the groundbreaking work being done by CELT, and praised the students on the team for their important and significant contributions.
Superintendent Prentiss also shared that her Superintendent's Roundtable resumed its monthly meetings in December, and held its first session of 2021 on Jan. 14. She said the group is continuing its discussion of the book "The Happiness Advantage" by Shawn Anchor, and engaging in conversations about the district's strengths and opportunities for improvement.
Approve a Memorandum of Understanding with the HTHSSSA
The board discussed and approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Hinsdale Township High School Support Staff Association (HTHSSSA) regarding absences related to COVID-19. The impetus for the MOU was the decision by the federal government not to reinstate FFCRA [Families First Coronavirus Response Act]. This agreement will enable HTHSSSA members to access up to 10 paid administrative leave days before using their own sick leave if the district or local health department requires them to quarantine due to a COVID-related issue.
Open Enrollment Report
The administration provided the board with the open enrollment report for 2021. The 2021 open enrollment numbers are fairly stable across all categories. Below are a few of the key takeaways from the report.
- A higher number of employees waived insurance in all categories.
- There was a slight decline among teachers for single HMO, with a similar level of incline in the group for the single PPO.
- There has been a slight decline across most categories for paras/student safety personnel, with the most notable decline being in the family coverage areas.
Tax Levy Update
The administration provided the board with an update about the tax levy. As part of this update, the administration shared that the Final PTELL for 2020 is 1.4%.
Operational Calendar and Future Agenda Items
The board reviewed and discussed its operational calendar for the year and possible agenda items for future meetings. You can access additional information about this agenda item by visiting
https://bit.ly/2H0UI71.
The meeting adjourned at 8:07 p.m. You can access the video of the meeting by visiting
http://bit.ly/2QrtaK6.
