Hinsdale Central, South Fall Short On State Geography Standards: District

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale High School District 86 acknowledges that it falls short on the state's geography standards at both Central and South.

Because of this, the district plans to hold three "lunch-and-learn" geography sessions next spring at both schools.

The acknowledgement is a result of Burr Ridge resident Adolph Galinski's recent messages to officials.

But Galinski is quick to point out that the two campuses' social studies departments brought the issue to administrators three years ago.

In emails to Galinski last month, Josh McMahon, assistant superintendent for academics, agreed with Galinski that the district was not meeting all the standards.

He said Galinski identified potential gaps in several courses.

"Our department leadership is actively building a plan to ensure that state standards are consistently met and assured for both current and future students across the district," McMahon told Galinski. "Your inquiry helped move this work forward and allowed me to understand it even better."

The lunch-and-learn sessions will be 25 minutes each and focus on the standards, McMahon said.

"This gives every senior, including those who have already completed all required Social Studies courses, the opportunity to receive instruction on each standard before graduation," McMahon said.

McMahon, who started over the summer, did not return a message for comment from last week.

After McMahon's emails, Galinski spoke publicly about the issue during a school board meeting.

"Why did a parent-initiated examination of one student's coursework lead to corrective action on an issue the district's own educators identified years earlier?" he asked.

He said the district has not explained how, or even whether, it will identify which seniors missed which geography standards through their course pathways.

"How realistic is it to expect students to give up part of their lunch periods for geography lessons when they may not even know whether the missing instruction applies to them?" Galinski said.

He said the district's own curriculum mappings identified gaps in geography-standards coverage within a South course pathway. But he said it has not been established that Central students missed required instruction.

"Nevertheless, the District plans to offer lunch-and-learn sessions at both campuses," Galinski said.

In 2023, a split board questioned teacher-recommended changes to equalize social studies course offerings at both campuses. Their plan included addressing geography standards.

The action drew the teachers union's condemnation. The next year, union members in blue shirts showed up at a meeting where their leader spoke. The leader called for the ouster of the school board president, Catherine Greenspon. She remains at the helm.