District 97 Plans Remote-Only Start In August

OAK PARK, IL — Students and staff in Oak Park Elementary School District 97 will be remote-only during the fall. The first day of school is Aug. 26, according to the district.

Superintendent Carol Kelley announced at the end of last month that it would be best if the district focus their efforts on beginning the new school year remotely. According to a statement shared to the District 97 website, a special meeting was held by the board to further discuss plans for the fall, Kelley said.

"While our team has been working through the logistics of our hybrid model over the past week, we have also been monitoring the uptick in COVID-19 cases locally and nationwide," Kelley said, in Thursday's statement posted to the district's website. "We have heard serious concerns from our staff and families about returning to in-person learning, and there is speculation that stricter guidelines could be imposed at the state level to control the spread of the virus. These factors, combined with our desire to provide the best and safest learning environment possible for our students and staff."

Kelley said the district would commit to this model just for the first trimester, and continue developing their "hybrid plans to prepare for an eventual safe return to onsite learning."

Kelley added that remote learning will look much different starting next month than it did during the spring, and district staff members have been engaged in planning and professional development over the past several months.

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Related:

• River Forest District 90 Shares Return To School Plan Update
  
• District 90 Shares Return-To-School Guidelines For Fall
• OPFR High School Students Could Start Year With Remote Learning

"We share our families’ desire to return to on-site learning as soon as possible, but we also believe we must continue to make decisions that prioritize the health and safety of not only the students and staff in our buildings, but the Oak Park community as a whole," Kelley added.

More information: See District’s FAQ about Fall 2020, under the Remote Learning section.