District 300 releases plan for fall school reopening
Algonquin-based Community Unit District 300 leaders plan to reopen schools to in-person instruction starting Aug. 13, with some scheduling modifications, remote learning options and safety precautions in place.
Safety measures include mandatory daily screening by parents/guardians, random screenings at each school throughout the day, and student screening each morning upon arrival at school. The district also will implement enhanced cleaning procedures, suspend locker use, close physical education and athletic locker rooms, make all back-to-school events virtual, use screens or partitions in common areas such as the cafeteria, limit school bus capacity to 50 students, and require students and employees to wear masks or face shields at all times while on campus or on a bus, documents show.
Elementary and middle schools will follow a normal five-day schedule with some modifications, such as increased recess periods and changed bell schedules to minimize hall traffic. In high schools, half the students will take classes in person and the other half will join remotely, and those groups will alternate during the week so all students get in-person instruction to ensure they remain engaged, Superintendent Fred Heid told the school board Tuesday.
"We did strive to bring consistency across all three levels but unfortunately just the sheer size of our high schools prevented us from allowing a day-to-day, face-to-face experience for all of those students and staff," Heid said.
For remote learners, Heid said, "it will not be asynchronous learning where students are issued assignments to work on at home."
"It will be live instruction (each day) as if they are physically participating in the classroom. They will still have the opportunity to collaborate with their teachers and students virtually," he added.
Some high school student groups will attend each day due to specific needs or circumstances. These include students on an Individualized Education Program and first- and second-year English Language Learners. Families of high-schoolers may opt out of full- or part-time in-person instruction via e-learning, while others may be recommended by staff for full-time in-person attendance based on academic performance or other needs.
Students with a medical exemption due to preexisting or qualifying conditions, or families concerned about sending their children to school can opt to enroll in e-learning no later than July 31. Families must stick with that choice for the entire quarter and can switch to in-person learning at the end of each quarter.
Heid said this reopening plan is the "best-possible case scenario" officials could develop considering the district's disparate needs, especially with respect to low-income, special education and English Language Learner populations.
"We have roughly 44% of our population who live at or above the federal poverty line, qualify for free and reduced lunch," he said. "Many of those are single-parent income households. We have to be considerate of their needs."
The 2020-21 school calendar will be posted on the district's website Friday.
District 300 is developing a handbook for a more comprehensive overview of daily school operations. Virtual town hall meetings will be scheduled in the next two weeks to discuss cleaning, meal service, social distancing and other topics.
Parents may submit questions about reopening to backtoschool@d300.org.