District 204 to expand in-person learning, but no full-time school this year

Indian Prairie Unit District 204 is boosting its in-person instruction time from two to four days a week for all grade levels starting next month.

In a hybrid model rolled out in January, students who chose to return to the classroom were divided into two cohorts to limit the number of people in the buildings. Those groups will now be combined, doubling the amount of time in-person learners spend in school while still adhering to 6-foot social distancing guidelines, administrators announced Monday.

The district does not plan to move to a five-day, full-time schedule at any point this academic year, Superintendent Adrian Talley said, but that remains the goal for the fall.

"Let me be clear. None of the schedules for instruction this year have been ideal," he wrote in a letter to families Tuesday. "We want nothing more than to see all of our students in our classrooms with our teachers full time."

The enhanced in-person schedule takes effect March 9 for elementary schools, with students attending class from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday through Friday, said Laura Rosenblum, assistant superintendent for elementary teaching and learning. Those kids will then be expected to participate in electives and complete independent work from home, she said, allowing teachers to provide synchronous instruction to remote-only students in the afternoons.

Parents with children in remote learning can ask to switch to the in-person schedule - and vice versa - by noon Friday. But space availability dictates the number of requests that can be fulfilled, Rosenblum said, noting interested families could be entered into a lottery system, or given the option to change teachers or schools.

Currently, 4,357 elementary students are enrolled in the hybrid model, compared to 5,508 remote learners, according to her presentation.

Expanding in-person learning opportunities is more complex at the middle and high school levels, where students rotate every period, Talley said. While some specific courses and classrooms can handle the combined student groups, others may not have enough seats available.

To accommodate an overflow, students would be assigned to "alternative learning spaces" within the school, where they would attend the class via Zoom, said Brad Hillman, assistant superintendent for middle and high schools. School leaders are working to limit the number of periods each student would have to spend in that setting, he said.

The four-day schedule for middle and high schoolers is expected to be phased in starting March 15, Talley said. The daily structure will remain the same as the current hybrid model, with educators teaching in-person and remote learners simultaneously Tuesday through Friday.

Mondays will remain designated e-learning days for all grade levels.

Most middle and high schools have less than half the students currently enrolled in hybrid learning, officials said, though families can request a switch depending on availability.

For months, parents have been urging the district to implement a full-time option for in-person learners, saying they fear the academic and social-emotional gaps stemming from remote learning.

Board member Mark Rising said he would consider relaxing the 6-foot distancing requirement if it meant getting more students back in the classroom. But he acknowledged the logistical challenges of increasing in-person opportunities, saying, "We're moving in a great direction."