St. Charles Unit District 303 offers update on first day of school
On July 30, St. Charles Unit District 303 Board President Nicholas Manheim and Superintendent Jason Pearson posted a letter to families, with an update on the first day of school.
The letter is posted at district.d303.org.
"The purpose of this communication is to provide you with an update as we prepare to implement our District 303 Return to School Plan. Our District 303 task force committees continue to meet and are adjusting our plan to be responsive to the changing guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education.
Many districts across the state are adjusting plans, pushing back the start date for school, and/or deciding to open in a fully remote format due to the changing guidance and expectations.
The District 303 plan has been designed to allow flexibility between the three modalities of instruction, fully in-person, hybrid/blended, and fully remote. It is expected that our district will be in at least two, if not all three of these structures at some point during the 2020-21 school year.
Beginning last school year, District 303 moved to a calendar with an earlier start date.
When the calendar was developed, the purpose of the changes was to balance the semesters, finish the first semester before winter break, and align with the other districts in the area that share Fox Valley Career Center and Mid-Valley Special Education Cooperative programs. Over the past weeks, most of our Mid-Valley peer districts have announced delayed openings to accommodate reopening plans.
To better align the calendar, allow additional time for staff preparation and training, respond to constantly changing guidelines, and further prepare our facilities with the needed protective measures and cleaning protocols, we are implementing the following adjustments to our plan and to the school calendar.
• The first day of school for students will now be Wednesday, Aug. 19.
• The institute day scheduled for January 19, 2021 will now be a student attendance day
• The last day of school will now be Friday, May 28, 2021 (pending emergency days)
During the first week of school, Aug. 19-21, in-person school hours will be adjusted to dismiss students prior to lunch at each grade level. On these days, students will have the option of taking a grab and go sack lunch as they leave school to eat at home. Students will also be asked to complete a remote learning task in the afternoon.
Middle school and high school students will still follow the A/B schedule on these shortened attendance days. Bus service will continue to be provided based on this adjusted schedule.
The schedule for Aug. 19, 20, and 21 will be:
• AM Kindergarten - 8:00 - 9:25
• PM Kindergarten - 10:25-12:00
• Elementary Schools - 8:00-12:00
• Middle Schools - 8:30-12:30
• High Schools - 7:20-11:20
Beginning on Monday, Aug. 24, in-person students will follow the full day schedule outlined in the Reopen School Plan. Lunch will be served at school.
Students who have elected remote learning will also begin on August 19 and will follow the remote learning schedule.
We understand the hardship and challenges these changes may place on families. We remain committed to reopening with a hybrid/blended and remote choice option for our community. Please know that due to the changing infection rate data, District 303 may need to continue to adjust our plans and eventually shift to fully remote instruction.
Should additional changes become necessary, we will communicate them with you as soon as possible. Our commitment to student and staff safety remains our top priority and we will adjust our plans accordingly. Thank you for your continued patience as we work together to reopen our schools."
For the July 30 posting titled "2020-2021 Reopening Schools FAQ," go to district.d303.org.