Following more than an hour of discussion, the Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills Elementary District 181 school board voted 6 to 1 to place a revised version of its current school calendar policy on public display at Monday night’s business meeting.

The changed policy inserts “make reasonable effort to” avoid scheduling events and activities for days or times that would create a “foreseeable conflict” — instead of “foreseeable religious conflict” as the policy read before.

The word “religious” was kept in a different part of the policy, however: “This may include, but not be limited to, scheduling events or activities in a manner that does not create a conflict for District 181 families due to a school recess or break, or a major religious holiday or observance.”

The policy also stipulates the district should avoid scheduling events when it is seems attendance for parents or students will be “lower” than at other times during the school year — instead of “substantially lower” as it read before Monday’s amendment.

Yvonne Mayer was the lone vote against the policy, stating she believed it should be sent back to the district’s lawyer for another review before moving to public display.

“Avoidance scheduling has to be based on a secular purpose and have an impact on attendance,” Mayer said. “I don’t think there’s any doubt our goal continues to be inclusiveness, but we have to be careful. We have to make sure we’re not setting the district up for unnecessary, costly litigation.”

Though she said she agreed with Mayer’s caution against possible litigation, board member Sarah Lewensohn vehemently supported moving forward with a policy that supported tolerance.

“I don’t think people recognize the somewhat hateful e-mails we’ve received because of this,” Lewensohn said. “We’re doing this because we believe in tolerance and that is the secular purpose. We want to demonstrate to our children that we are mindful there are people that come from different backgrounds.”

Board vice president Roseanne Rosenthal agreed with Lewensohn and said this is not the first time the board has tried to push district administration to change the calendar policy to be more sensitive to the diversity of the district.

“We just have to have a little courage and do what’s right,” Rosenthal said. “I can’t see why we shouldn’t stay in support of this (policy).”

The district began to discuss the policy about a year ago, and has since been under scrutiny for the changed policy’s impact.

In September, the policy prevented 130 runners from competing in two meets in September because they conflicted with the Jewish religious holidays Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah.

Dale and Margie Kleber, of Hinsdale, both spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting to reiterate their views on the policy. The two have been in communication with the district regarding its calendar policy since their son was barred from running in the September cross-country meet.

“(The current policy) is ill-conceived and unconstitutional,” said Dale Kleber, who is also a lawyer. “I support sensitivity to minority groups, but religious-based policies do not belong in public schools.”

In November, Superintendent Renée Schuster said district administration is already aware of four religious dates that could conflict with sporting events when the 2011-12 calendar is created.

Following the 30-day public display period, the district will vote to either keep the policy as it stands or send it back for further review.

bdoyle@tribune.com