Hinsdale D86 OKs South Off-Campus Lunch, With Conditions

HINSDALE, IL – It looks like the students at Hinsdale South High School are, by a school board member's standard, not "the only adults in the room."

On Wednesday afternoon, Hinsdale High School District 86 announced it would allow off-campus lunch for South seniors next semester, as long as students meet several requirements.

The decision comes after a South civics class lobbied the district for months. Outgoing Principal Patrick Hardy also pushed the idea.

"(W)e extend our heartfelt thanks for the students who have actively voiced their opinions on this matter," interim co-superintendents Raymond Lechner and Rebecca Nelson said in a statement. "Your engagement and advocacy have been instrumental in bringing this initiative to fruition."

To be eligible for off-campus lunch, a senior must have:

• C's or better in all classes.
• No more than five unexcused absences, as defined by the student handbook, for the current quarter.
• No more than two disciplinary referrals for the current quarter.
• No out-of-school suspensions for the current semester.
• A signed off-campus lunch participation agreement on file.

Under the pilot program, students will be required to scan in and out and only be able to enter and exit from the main entrance.

The district said it would monitor the lunch program's progress throughout the first semester. It said it would later consider whether off-campus lunch should be offered at Hinsdale Central.

At a board meeting earlier this month, member Jeff Waters implored administrators to take action by the end of the month. Otherwise, he said, it would appear that South students were "the only adults in the room" on the lunch issue.

The district beat Waters' deadline by two days.