D308 Board Approves Plan To Bring Back Students In Groups

OSWEGO, IL — Oswego School District 308 students will start returning to school in October amid the coronavirus pandemic. Administrators presented their four-stage plan to the Board of Education during the Tuesday meeting and it got approved by a 4-3 vote.

Casting negative votes on the motion to approve the plan were board members Toni Morgan, Alison Swanson and Vice President Matt Bauman. Board President Lauri Doyle, Secretary Ruth Kroner and board members Brent Lightfoot and Heather Moyer voted in favor of the plan.

According to the plan, the first students to come back for in-person classes will be those who are in the district's Cross-categorical, ISP, STARS, LSP, SKILLS, DHH, EVA, and Pathways Transition program at all grade levels. These students would return to the classroom beginning in the week of Oct. 19.

Students in Early Childhood up through fifth grade will be returning on Nov. 9 and students in junior high and high school will begin the hybrid plan, with both virtual and classroom instruction, on Jan. 11.

The board in August had decided in favor of starting the 2020-2021 school year under a Remote For All plan for the district's 16,800 students, and had agreed to review the fully remote program after six weeks.

During Tuesday's meeting, the district made some changes to the plan on the basis of feedback from community members. At the high school level, administrators and staff have recommended that the district shift the high school schedule to a chronological order of 1-8 class periods and 8-1 periods for students. These students will start their day in Go Live! learning sessions for either their 1-4 periods or 8-5 periods.

This proposed change would allow high school students who have lunch in their fourth or fifth class periods to have sufficient time before their in-person classes, and would give students who have late arrival or early dismissal to continue with that in their schedules.

One of the major changes is the starting date for junior high and high school students to enter the hybrid phase of the plan. Originally, the district's plan was for them to return to classrooms on Dec.3.

Associate Superintendent for Educational Services Faith Dahlquist said that the district examined two new options for a start date, following responses from board members and community members who had asked if students could return to the classroom sooner than December, or after winter break.

According to her, the pros for having students back on Jan. 11 are:

• Chromebooks would be ready for students, and preparation for 1:1 roll out
• There would be more time to train staff on live-streaming
• There would be more balance between groups A and B
• There would be less change / disruption for staff and students over short period of time
• The transition would occur at a natural break to instruction
• More time to hire necessary staff

The full plan can be found on the district's website. No changes were made to the previously released plans for students in early childhood and elementary school.

As per the presentation presented to the board on Sept. 28, the reopening plan has four stages and all of them depend on several factors such as:

• Local and Regional Metrics (IDPH)
• PPE Availability
• Adequate Staffing Levels
• Exclusion/Isolation Requirements
• Revised guidance from ISBE, IDPH, KCHD

In Stage One, the district is fully remote with no staff or students in the building. Stage Two — the one which the district is currently in — allows certain staff members in the buildings. In this stage, sports and training are allowed with IHSA guidelines, and individual classes are in attendance for partial days, with Special Education students and the youngest grades prioritized to return to the classroom first.

In Stage Three, called Hybrid and Remote by Choice, in-person learning is offered at all grade levels, with all staff in buildings. Students are offered the option of remote learning by choice with limited gatherings allowed. When students return to the classroom in Stages Two and Three, they will be part of a hybrid schedule involving both in-school and remote learning.

Stage Four is Full Reopening with all staff and students going back to complete in-person schedules.

Families that want their student to engage in fully remote by choice learning must fill out a form indicating their choice. Elementary school and remaining early childhood students will receive their form Oct. 15, and it will be due Oct. 21. Their decision will be in place for the entire second trimester beginning Nov. 9 and ending Feb. 12.

Families of junior high and high school students who plan to choose fully remote by choice learning, will also receive their form Oct. 15, and it will also be due Oct. 21. Their decision must remain in place for the entirety of the third quarter beginning Jan. 6 and ending March 12. If a form is not filled out, the district will assume that the student will be attending school in-person.

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