River Forest District 90 Shares Return To School Plan Update

RIVER FOREST, IL — This week, the River Forest District 90 Board of Education released an update for planning to return to school this fall. According to the update, District 90 students will return for the first day of school on Aug. 27 (a Thursday), during which Lincoln and Willard elementary schools will open for full in-person instruction for all students in a full-day format, while Roosevelt Middle School will begin the school year in a blended remote learning format, with students attending school in-person and participating in remote instruction on alternate days. The plans were developed through the lens of safety, education, social, emotional and physical wellness and high-quality instruction, according to the board.

The following return to school (RTS) plans were reported Monday by the board of education:

Elementary RTS Model —

• Full in-person daily; students in classroom cohorts for duration of school day
• Daily inclusive preschool and kindergarten classes
• Students eat lunch with cohort in classroom
• “Specials” classes (i.e. Music, PE, Art, STEM) held in assigned general education classroom
• 6 foot social distancing in seating between students and students/teachers
• Non-essential furniture removed from classrooms to accommodate greater spacing between students and students/teachers
• Core lessons delivered at established times to accommodate synchronous instruction for students learning remotely
• Students will be assessed and graded
• School schedule for bathroom and water bottle filling breaks

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Middle School RTS Model —

• Blended remote learning format; students divided into Group A or Group B to reduce school and classroom density; (family members assigned to same groups)
• Students attend remotely and in-person on alternate day basis
• In-person instruction occurs in full-day format; remote instruction lasts at least 5 hours per day
• Students with heightened needs (special education, 504 Plans, English Learners, homeless students, other exigent needs) will be scheduled to attend daily, though parents may opt out
• Students will continue to change classes (final schedule still in development)• Students will eat lunch in small-group supervised settings
• Lesson delivery schedules at pre-designated times to facilitate concurrent in-person and synchronous remote instruction, interspersed with offline learning
• Students will be assessed and graded

Related:

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

There is also a plan for a remote learning option for students in kindergarten through grade 8.

The board is also developing plans for supervision support for remote learning and childcare, in addition to mitigating learning gaps, and several other points of discussion. Those points include:

• Finalized student and staff safety procedures based directly on public health, medical, and scientific recommendations
• Finalized schedules, including staggered arrival and dismissal times to manage entrance/egress
• Specific response protocols to address varied student or staff illness scenarios
• Targeted social-emotional supports for students, staff, and families

and several more.