Lincoln-Way D-210 board votes to eliminate community service requirement for this year’s seniors

The Lincoln-Way District 210 School Board voted 5-2 in favor of eliminating the community service graduation requirement for the class of 2021.

Member Richard LaCien and President Joseph Kosteck were the two “no” votes.

Originally, Superintendent Scott Tingley proposed administration’s recommendation that the requirement be reduced from 25 hours to 10 hours, stating that 10 hours could be done safely through online or socially distant services, and it also gives some credit to those students that already competed it.

According to a list the board members had, 710 seniors had not turned in their hours. That does not mean 710 had not done any hours at all, just that no hours had been recorded. Some students have typically waited until senior year to complete all their hours.

The board did not go to vote on the administration recommendation as the motion was not seconded. Secretary Beth Janus-Doyle, who is also on the advisory committee, followed up by motioning it be waived entirely.

“We (the advisory committee) talked about this extensively,” she said. “I’m in full support of exempting. That’s my take on it.”

Janus-Doyle said her understanding is that most students turn their hours in as they complete them, and guessed that many of the 710 had no hours at all.

Janus-Doyle also pointed to students who chose to be fully remote this year and said making them go out would not be right.

“There’s so many burdens on these kids that the class of 2021 has had to deal with, that I’d just like to take one thing off their plate,” she said. “That was the consensus of the advisory committee.”

Last year’s community service requirements had significant changes as well that came from the Illinois State Board of Education, but there was less guidance this year, Tingley said.

Member Christopher M. Lucchetti, made the note that this year’s seniors have had essentially one less year to complete their service hours.