Has Hinsdale South Lost Language Programs?

HINSDALE, IL — In an aside last week, a top Hinsdale High School District 86 official said Hinsdale South has "lost language programs."

At Thursday's school board meeting, board President Kevin Camden responded to a resident's concern that South's cheerleaders were on the sidelines at football games, while Central's were not.

"With respect to cheer and other things, inequities are a peculiar thing sometimes," Camden said after the public's comments. "South lost language programs. Central wasn't able to offer cheer on the sidelines because of population and attendance issues."

The language programs weren't Camden's focus in his response, but it raised the issue of whether South was losing courses. That could touch a nerve in the South area. South residents have long maintained the district shortchanges their more diverse school in class offerings because its enrollment has been allowed to dwindle to half Central's size. They have suggested a boundary change to equalize the school's populations.

On Tuesday, Patch spoke with two school officials about Camden's statement. They said Camden was referring to the fact that South is not offering German 1 and Latin 1 next school year. But they said that does not mean the classes are gone for good.

"Just because a class doesn't run one year doesn't mean it won't run in the future," South Principal Arwen Pokorny Lyp said. "Both schools have examples of that. A class often doesn't run one year and then runs the next year."

Assistant Superintendent Chris Covino said the high schools were unable to provide as much outreach to middle schoolers during the pandemic. Such efforts often result in more students taking language classes such as German 1 and Latin 1, he said.

At Hinsdale South, four students signed up for German 1 and five for Latin 1, not large enough numbers to form classes, the officials said.

They said the district offered those students other options, such as using Zoom to connect to Central classes. The students chose to take other South language classes.

"Our number overall in the world language program is not low," Pokorny Lyp said. "Students chose to take Spanish, French and sign language in higher numbers."