U-46 considers hybrid model for reopening schools this fall

Elgin Area School District U-46 students could return to classrooms this fall in a combination of in-person instruction and remote learning.

Officials are considering a hybrid instructional model for reopening schools after more than 3,000 employees and 13,000 families provided feedback in a survey conducted last week.

Results show staff members and families are seeking certain assurances for reopening schools, including strict 6-foot social distancing and limiting group sizes, the use of face coverings at all times even when social distancing is maintained, and clear protocols for communicating cases of COVID-19.

Responses were divided among people seeking to return to daily in-person instruction, those wanting a hybrid or blended learning approach, or others seeking full-time distance learning, Superintendent Tony Sanders said.

Nearly 30% of parents said they would prefer to start the school year in full-time distance learning, while 12% said they would not allow their student to return for any in-person instruction. A majority of people said they are ready for students to return for in-person instruction with appropriate safeguards aligned to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

The hybrid approach - requiring students to attend in-person classes on some days and work remotely on others - gained greatest acceptance among employees and parents. Officials are considering a slow rollout during the first few weeks of school with smaller groups of students.

"We have a lot of work to do between now and Aug. 12," Sanders said. "We know school is going to look different no matter what we do. We have to learn a new social contract through all of this. All students, pre-K through 12th grade, have to recognize the importance of wearing a mask not to protect yourself but to protect others, the importance of washing your hands frequently, the 6 feet of distance, getting used to what that looks like."

Within the hybrid model, employees and parents said they would prefer having students attend alternating days each week. Most students would attend two days a week in person, though certain groups might need to be at school more frequently. Most schools would run at 50% capacity daily.

"We will be following up with families and staff to determine with more specificity which students plan to return under our hybrid instructional model and which students plan to only return for full-time distance learning," Sanders said. "Our instruction in both the hybrid model and distance learning will be different from the distance learning students experienced from March 13 through the end of the 2019-20 school year, and will more closely align with in-person expectations."

Unlike distance learning in the spring, students will be held accountable for learning regardless of instructional setting.

"There will be coursework. There will be assignments. There will be grades issued. There will be assessments given," Sanders said. "Ongoing engagement will be expected and closely monitored."

Teachers also will receive training on using the new learning management system so they can better engage with students on one consistent platform.

"People need to be hopefully flexible and agile as things will change between now and August," Sanders said. "If we come out of this with schools looking the same, then we've failed."