How Indian Prairie District 204 plans to start bringing students back to school

Thirty-one elementary classes in the Naperville and Aurora areas will begin piloting a hybrid learning model next week, as Indian Prairie Unit District 204 prepares to bring all grade levels back to school on an alternating schedule in the second quarter.

After more than a month of entirely remote learning, district officials unveiled plans this week to roll out limited classroom instruction starting the week of Nov. 2 for families seeking in-person learning. Those who are uncomfortable sending their kids back to school can continue with an online-only format, Superintendent Adrian Talley said Tuesday in a community letter.

Shifting to a districtwide hybrid model will affect the scheduled time in which students interact "live" with their teachers, regardless of whether they choose remote or in-person learning, Talley said.

To test the waters, District 204 is implementing a pilot program involving 31 classrooms across eight elementary schools, he said.

Starting next week, the 306 students who chose in-person instruction - just under half of those who were asked - are expected to return to their classrooms from 9 to 11:30 a.m. two days a week, according to a presentation to the school board. Mondays will be designated for all-remote learning, and students will rotate on an A/B schedule the remainder of the week.

The pilot program will then expand to all elementary schools beginning Nov. 5 with early childhood through second grade, he said. Third through fifth grades will follow the week of Nov. 16.

Middle school students who choose to participate in the hybrid model will attend school twice a week from 8 a.m. to 12:59 p.m., while continuing remote learning on Mondays, Talley said.

At the high school level, students will be able to return to school on select Mondays from 7:25 a.m. to 2:05 p.m. based on their last name and grade level, he said. They will engage in e-learning Tuesday through Friday.

The new schedules begin the week of Nov. 2 for eighth-graders and high school juniors and seniors, Nov. 9 for sixth-grade students, and the week of Nov. 16 for seventh-graders and high school freshmen and sophomores.

Students at all grade levels will receive a combination of synchronous and asynchronous instruction when they are learning from home, regardless of the format they choose, Talley said.

In a recent survey gauging the remote learning experience, roughly 54% of the 12,000 parents who responded said they feel comfortable sending their kids back to school. The district has been implementing additional health and safety protocols in every building, Talley said.

Officials warn the Return to School plan is subject to change as coronavirus conditions evolve. The district could return to full remote learning if the level of community transmission changes from "moderate" to "substantial," per the DuPage County Health Department's school metrics, Talley said.