Care and technology highlight reopening plan at renowned Cove School

A renowned institution with a specialized clientele, The Cove School in Northbrook couldn't afford to let COVID-19 rule the day.

It tackled the problem early and now finds itself in a strong position.

"We're a very mission-driven community here," said Dr. Sally Sover, executive director of the 73-year-old school at 350 Lee Road, "and through that lens we were able to tailor a plan for the school that I think has served us well and is serving our community well."

Serving 165 students with learning disabilities attending first through 12th grades, just this summer The Cove School drew recommendation in a book by Dr. Sally Shaywitz of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity. It earned Better magazine's "Best of 2019" and "Best of 2020" awards for private schools in the Chicago area.

Winning a "Best of Northbrook" award for a second straight year by the Northbrook Award Program, this year The Cove School earned induction into its Business Hall of Fame.

Its mission, Sover said, is to provide individualized education and strategies for students with complex learning difficulties. The aim is to give students the abilities and confidence to transition to community schools and postsecondary education.

The plan all along, from the first closure in March, was to reopen in-person this fall. The school figured families would need additional support, and got busy putting things together, including providing a summer program.

Their plan far exceeded the basics of social distancing and wearing masks - which, incidentally, the students have aced.

"Our students have been amazing with the masks," said Sover, noting students received videos of proper mask procedure to practice before school started Aug. 19.

The school - which according to its website was the nation's first devoted strictly to serving students with learning disabilities when it was founded in 1947 in Racine, Wisconsin - focused on three main facets in its reopening plan: physical safety of students, family and staff; mental health needs to meet the pandemic challenge; and enhanced modes of instruction.

To foster distancing, new desks replaced the large, communal tables. The desks have wheels to provide flexible classroom settings while maintaining distancing, and they can be adjusted for students to sit or stand at them.

Bathrooms have antibacterial countertops, touchless toilets and sinks. Plexiglass barriers were installed throughout the school, plus water bottle-filling stations and antiviral floor tile in high-traffic areas. The nurse's office was upgraded, and a new ionization air filtration system was attached to the heating and cooling system.

"Those were probably our primary facility upgrades that not only obviously are good for COVID, but they're also just important for the quality of health moving forward," Sover said.

The Cove School added a clinical psychologist and an additional social worker to its roster, and all mental health staff received training in "trauma-informed practices," Sover said.

The school conducted surveys to gauge student needs and wants. Since the pandemic struck in March it has provided virtual social events for students and families to remain connected.

When students come from as far away as Wisconsin, remaining connected is crucial.

Increased technology enabled synchronous instruction, the ability of a student to access a teacher in person or remotely, since some of The Cove School's students cannot attend in-person classes.

The school purchased interactive, flat-panel viewing boards, wireless assistive hearing devices and "Padcasters," which Sover described as an iPod on a tripod. It expanded its Zoom license and extended its cabling for a wireless boost to outdoor spaces.

Not that they ever really left, but all these improvements make it good to be back.

"There's no doubt that this has been a different type of reopening, but it's exciting, and I will say our students are so happy to be back in school," Sover said.

"We see the extent that our students take to get here every day, and to be here every day is really what inspires us in the school to make sure that we really are doing our best for them."