Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South students could get access to NVIDIA artificial intelligence courses at no cost under a pilot program the District 86 board discussed Tuesday, Aug. 25.
The program would let students enroll in NVIDIA's deep learning courses as an enrichment activity and earn credentials, Hinsdale Central Principal Bill Walsh said at the meeting. District officials stressed that the agreement includes contractual protections barring NVIDIA from selling student data or using it for targeted advertising.
"This agreement legally prohibits Nvidia from selling student data, using it for targeted advertising or profiling students for non-educational purposes," Chief Information Officer Michael Swanson said, according to Patch. "So the only data to process for this pilot would be limited strictly to what is necessary to operate the service."
No vote was taken. According to the district's official board briefs, the NVIDIA program remains a discussion item. An FAQ document is being developed as the administration addresses remaining questions before seeking a board vote.
A long road to this point
District 86 first floated the NVIDIA partnership in January 2026, Patch reported in June. The proposal drew criticism from residents who said the district focused on NVIDIA to the exclusion of other companies. In February, the board created a committee to explore the partnership, prompting former board member Kay Gallo to file an open meetings complaint with the Illinois attorney general's office. No resolution of that complaint appears in public records.
By late June, the holdup was a data privacy agreement. Board President Catherine Greenspon said in late June that no bidding process was needed because no money is changing hands.
Superintendent Chip Pettit told the board Tuesday that 75 percent of District 86 staff and 90 percent of students already use AI tools. He said he expects to publish an FAQ page about the pilot in September.
Board member Jeff Waters called for better outreach. "These are learning opportunities for students in the classroom. Period, end of story," Waters said. "And I don't know that the community understands that."
What it means for students
Walsh said the credentials earned through NVIDIA's courses would give District 86 students an advantage over peers at other high schools pursuing AI careers. NVIDIA pledged $25 million for K-12 AI education at a White House event in September 2025, aiming to reach 1 million students within three years through its Deep Learning Institute program.
The pilot would cost nothing. Data protections are written into the contract. Students at both high schools would have access. But the board has not yet voted to approve it.
Hinsdale Education Ahead
- Sept. 15 — District 86 board self-evaluation meeting. Time and location per district calendar.
- Sept. 29 — District 86 regular board meeting. Public comment is typically on the agenda; check the district website for sign-up details.
- September — District 86 plans to publish an FAQ page on the NVIDIA AI pilot. Date not yet announced.
