The Board of Education and Administration of District 208 have always been committed to bringing students safely back to school for in-person instruction this school year. The Board of Education approved the Hybrid Instructional Model as the best path to move forward with instruction in these trying times. Unfortunately, the most recent guidance issued from the IDPH this week has made the process of bringing even half of our student population into the building under our Hybrid Instructional Model unmanageable. The COVID-19 Transition Committee has done its best to continue to modify our plans to meet the ever-changing guidelines from Springfield; however, the most recent recommendations, the timing of their release, as well as staffing concerns have stalled those efforts.
The following plan will be implemented for first quarter:
- August 17 - August 21 -- Grade Level Orientation Week (in person - schedule attached)
- August 24 - October 16 -- Remote Learning for all students (First Quarter)
- Families that selected the fully-remote option through APEX, your student will now remain in their RB classes. If a student who selected the fully-remote model (APEX) does not feel comfortable attending their designated day during orientation week, they should email their teachers during the week of August 17 - 21 to obtain necessary materials.
Based on the feedback from Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting, modifications to the remote learning schedule will be made to increase instructional time and will be sent out next week. We are still finalizing expectations for faculty and staff during remote learning to identify ways to provide cohorts of students access to Special Education services as well as social emotional support services (Counselors, Social Workers, and School Psychologists).
Extracurricular experiences will still be made available to students, both in-person and virtually. Information from coaches and club sponsors will be disseminated next week.
Lunch will be available beginning on Monday, August 24, for students who receive free or reduced lunch. More information regarding lunch service will be shared next week.
We remain steadfast in our commitment to creating a plan to get students back on campus at some point this school year. The safety of our staff, students, and community have made this the appropriate decision at this time.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kevin Skinkis
Superintendent
Superintendent