At the end of June, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker released guidance for schools in the 2020-21 school year.
The district's planning for the next school year began before the 2019-20 school year ended and the state's guidance document helped to answer some lingering questions.
At this time, the district is considering the following models for the 2020-21 school year:
- In-person learning with a remote option: Students return to in-person learning while following health and safety requirements. Parents would also have the option to choose remote learning for their students. Parents who choose remote learning would commit for at least one trimester.
- Hybrid/blended learning: If the district cannot have students in school while also meeting the social distancing requirements for full in-person learning, this model allows for some learning to occur in person and some to be done remotely. Students would return to half-day learning in person while following health and safety requirements. Approximately half of students would attend in the morning and half would attend in the afternoon, with deep cleaning between the two groups. Additional remote learning would take place while students are not in the building.
- Remote learning 2.0: Students would participate in remote learning that would be based on an online platform. Teachers would provide both synchronous and asynchronous learning in all subject areas. Feedback, assessments, and grading would be provided on student work.
You can read more detailed information about how each of these options would affect different aspects of learning here: https://bit.ly/3eZfeRa
The district's consideration of the two options that include in-person learning is based on the Restore Illinois Phase 4 guidelines, which includes: face masks, social distancing, and groups smaller than 50.
In all plans, the health guidance provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health, Centers for Disease Control, the DuPage County Health Department, and the State Board of Education will be followed. In as many places as practical, the district will provide additional safety measures above the mandated minimum requirements.
If the district is able to open for in-person learning, the 2020-21 school year will still be different than any other school opening. If health conditions in the state change, it is possible the district could move to a different form of learning (from in-person to remote, for example).
Thank you to the families that provided feedback on their initial planning for the 2020-21 school year. You can view a summary of the feedback the district received here:
https://bit.ly/2VHl1mN
The Board of Education will hear a summary of all three options at a special meeting that will be held July 6 at Glen Crest Middle School. The district will continue to send updates with the latest information via email, social media, and website postings.
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