Return to School Plan and Teaching with a Line of Sight in the Classroom
The Hinsdale Central staff is looking forward to welcoming our students back to campus the week of October 5. As the district shared in our return to school update on September 25, the resumption of in-person instruction will be aligned with the DuPage County Health Department’s (DCHD) Return to School Framework, more specifically the metrics associated with the three levels of community transmission (Minimal, Moderate and Substantial). At this time, DuPage County is experiencing a moderate level of transmission. At this level, DCDH recommends that schools limit or avoid mixing groups of students and school staff during the day. In an effort to comply with this recommendation and keep the members of our community healthy and safe, we plan to cap the number of students we bring on campus at the moderate level to approximately 25%. If the county moves to a minimal level of transmission level or the district is able to implement a DCHD-approved robust saliva testing system, we will seek to increase the number of learners we have in school to 50%.
As students prepare a return to campus, please know that many teachers have voluntarily been coming to campus for weeks. With that said, there are situations where a teacher or staff member may be remote while students are on campus. In these cases, the teacher or staff member has been approved for accommodations in accordance with the Families First Coronavirus Act (FFCRA) and Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The intent of FFCRA and FMLA is to offer assistance and support to employees who are dealing with medical or childcare issues. District 86 is providing reasonable accommodations for our staff under the expectation that they are able to meet their school responsibilities. In addition, allowing staff with approved accommodations to continue teaching remotely will enable us to maintain a continuity of instruction - i.e., the teacher who has been leading the class since the first day of school will continue to do so whenever possible.
In situations where a teacher is teaching remotely, a substitute teacher will be assigned to the classroom. These are the individuals we have referred to in previous communications as ‘line of sight’ subs. Line of sight subs will not have the traditional responsibilities of a substitute teacher - i.e., the Hinsdale Central teacher who is working remotely will still plan, prepare and run all aspects of their class (e.g., lesson planning, leading instruction, grading assignments, etc.). Instead, they will be charged with supervising the students who are physically present, and providing classroom management and assistance as needed. For example, they may help students who have technology issues, will ensure that everyone in the classroom is safe and secure, and will perform other on-site duties on behalf of the teacher.
Please know that every staff member here at Central is fully committed to providing our students with access to quality instruction and an excellent academic experience regardless of whether they are working on campus or from home. That is why the students in our hybrid model will continue to enjoy the benefits of in-person instruction even if their teacher is remote. These benefits include, but are not limited to:
- In-person discussions
- Varied assessment options
- Just-in-time intervention
- Group interactions
- Resource proximity to materials and staff
- Performance of project/practical lab work
If you have questions or concerns about a specific class, please contact your child’s teacher. If you have general questions about curriculum and instruction, please contact the department chair, the Assistant Principal for Instruction Ms. Hurt, or Principal Walsh. In addition, if you or someone you know is interested in applying to serve as a substitute teacher for the district, please visit https://bit.ly/2S6oWr5 for more information.