Early Bird: Hinsdale D86 Says No To Underclassmen

HINSDALE, IL – Parents and students pushed Thursday for Hinsdale High School District 86 to allow freshmen and sophomores into early morning physical education classes.

They were referring to Early Bird PE, which is before the traditional school day starts.

At a school board meeting, parents and students involved in music programs asked for the early bird option. It's allowed for juniors and seniors.

Parent Carly Koelling was among those speaking.

"While the ability to take Early Bird PE to open a spot in a student's schedule is important to many, it is particularly important to our band and choir music students, and it includes freshman and sophomore year," said Koelling, a Darien resident.

"During these early years, their schedules are full of required classes and once they add band or choir into their schedule there is no time for anything else," she said. "Most music students are honors and high-achieving students. These are kids not looking for an easy way out. They are looking to add additional classes that will serve them about topics that may help them choose careers as well as classes that look good on a college application."

A few years ago, officials said, they stopped making the early PE class available for sophomores. They said freshmen had never been allowed.

They also said they decided against allowing sophomores because they wanted to stress social-emotional learning.

During the pandemic, the schools saw more students with behavioral issues, which prompted the shift away from Early Bird PE for sophomores, Hinsdale Central Principal Bill Walsh said. He did not dispute assertions that exceptions may have been made.

Board President Catherine Greenspon called for the district to reverse itself, saying such policies would eventually "kill the band program."

But Walsh said part of him would rather make exceptions than generally open up the early PE classes to underclassmen.

And Jason Markey, the district's assistant superintendent for academics, said the schools had no curriculum set up for Early Bird PE for underclassmen.

Greenspon said the board was never alerted to the change. She pressed for officials to find a way to offer the class to younger students.

Board member Terri Walker took exception to Greenspon's pleas.

"How can we sit here and add courses that aren't in the program of studies?" Walker said. "We should have had this discussion in October."

She continued, "I'm sorry to be a jerk about things... I feel we are in a bit of a bind here."

South Principal Patrick Hardy agreed with Walker, saying the district needed to "slow down" and consider the options for the future.

"I recognize that this will not help the students who are speaking," he said.

Walker said she was open to an exception for band and other music students.

Officials said they would look into how such exceptions would work. No decisions were made.

Illinois requires students to take four years of PE, with exemptions listed under state law.