District 301 teachers, parents rally to voice concerns about reopening plan

Burlington-based Central Unit District 301 teachers, parents and students rallied Monday to voice concerns about the district's proposed reopening plan.

Dozens of cars lined up along South Street and Valley Way outside the district's administrative offices honking in protest of the district's hybrid plan, which calls for a combination of in-person and remote instruction for students in preschool through 12th grade. Several teachers spoke during Monday night's school board meeting detailing their frustrations and problems with the plan.

Safety and equity are key concerns, said Dave Chapman, president of the Central Education Association, which represents 296 teachers, guidance counselors, and speech and language pathologists serving more than 4,300 students in seven schools.

Students in preschool through fifth grade would attend classes daily on a split schedule - 9 to 11:30 a.m. for one group and 1 to 3:30 p.m. for the second group. Students learning entirely remotely would be assigned a dedicated classroom teacher to provide direct instruction through live or prerecorded lessons. Art, music, social skills, health and physical education would be taught remotely for all students, documents show.

Chapman and other educators urged district officials to reconsider the plan for sixth- through 12th-graders because it would require teachers to instruct two or three groups of students simultaneously in-person and remotely.

"That's just not possible," said Chapman, who teaches eighth-grade social studies. "Students in-person are going to get a much better education than the students who are (watching) at home."

For secondary students who chose the in-person option, they would be split with one group attending classes Monday and Thursday and the second group attending Tuesday and Friday. Wednesday would be a remote instructional day for all students. Meanwhile, a third group of students that opted out of in-person would learn entirely remotely, per the plan.

District administrators stressed the goal of the plan is to create flexibility for teachers to be able to do what's right for students. Having teachers livestream classes allows remote learners a chance to see what's happening in the classroom and interact with teachers, officials said.

Superintendent Todd Stirn said district leaders are working with middle school administrators to develop a plan that allows some teachers to teach separate in-person and remote sessions during the course of a day. For high schools, specialized teachers must provide interactive instruction for in-person and remote learners simultaneously to be efficient and so the district does not have to cut more than 40 core sections affecting roughly 600 students, he added.

Speakers also shared concerns about safety and cleaning procedures that need to be addressed before students return to classrooms Aug. 31.

Teachers complained of administrators and office staff not wearing masks while in buildings as mandated by the state and instances of equipment, bathrooms and high-contact areas not being cleaned in a timely manner.

"How will buildings be properly cleaned when necessary staff to ensure this have not been hired?" asked Susan Zagorski, English language arts teacher at Central High School.

Zagorski questioned why vacancies for additional custodial staff remain unfilled and how many substitute nurses would be available in case school nurses are exposed to someone who has come into close contact or tests positive for COVID-19. More school districts are switching to full remote learning due to new Illinois Department of Public Health guidance for close contact tracing and cleaning requirements for possible COVID-19 exposure, she added.

Stirn said officials are in the process of hiring seven additional custodians for disinfecting and sanitizing buildings and have reviewed and will comply with the new state health guidelines. The district has submitted its reopening plan to the Kane County Regional Office of Education and the Kane County Health Department for review, he added.

"It's imperative that we meet the needs of our students. We meet the needs of our community. We educate students to the best of our ability. That is our calling. I will not compromise that," Stirn said.