Hinsdale, Clarendon Hills school district hopes to scrap schools as polling places

Updated: March 8, 2013 6:06AM

CLARENDON HILLS — District 181 Superintendent Renee Schuster has asked the DuPage Election Commission to no longer use two district schools as polling places.

Clarendon Hills Middle School and Prospect School in Clarendon Hills are the two Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills Elementary District 181 schools still used as polling places on election days. The remaining seven schools in District 181 have been dropped as polling places over the past 2 ½ years.

Schuster said the request to also drop the two Clarendon Hills schools from the roster of polling places is part of a continuing effort to keep its buildings as safe as possible.

“There’s definitely been a heightened concern about school safety, and you can have a lot of people coming in and out of a building on an election day” Schuster said. “The election commission asked us to close school for the November presidential election.”

District 181 had no classes for students on the Nov. 6 Election Day; instead, that day was used for teachers’ institute. Students will be in attendance during April 9 municipal elections, and security procedures are in place for use at CHMS and Prospect School.

Schuster said doors will be locked inside both buildings, other than doors leading from outside into the voting area. Staff members also will be present throughout the day to prevent visitors from going elsewhere in the building.

“It does disrupt school,” said Kevin Russell, former Walker School principal who is now a district administrator. “We don’t let kids out for recess, and they eat lunch in their classrooms.”

Schuster is working working with the election commission in hopes of them finding other polling places.

“They did stop using our other buildings, but it’s been more difficult for them to find options nearby CHMS and Prospect,” she said.

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