D308 Board Rejects More In-Person Learning Time For Students

OSWEGO, IL — The Oswego School District 308 Board of Education voted 4-3 Monday to reject changes suggested to its Phase 3 reopening plan.

Board members Brent Lightfoot, Matt Bauman and Alison Swanson cast ballots in favor of changing the plans.

The board had voted to approve plans for the third phase of hybrid learning — slated to begin April 7 — for the students during its March 1 meeting. According to the plan, there will be no changes for elementary students, and they will attend school in-person for four mornings a week for instruction in reading, math and writing. In the afternoon, will students receive digital instruction in art, music, physical education, and also have independent work time. The schedule for those in special education as well as early childhood will also remain the same.

However, a change was approved for junior high and high school students, who will now be attending in-person learning four days a week for five hours each day. Students will follow the Phase 2 schedule where in-person attendance for junior high students will run from 8:05 a.m. until 1:05 p.m. High school students will attend in-person from 7:20 a.m. until 12:20 p.m. Junior high and high school students will not eat lunch at school.

Wednesdays will remain in remote learning days under the Phase 3 plan, with students taking part in Go Live! sessions.

Since that meeting, the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Public Health released revised guidelines regarding in-person learning. The new recommendations reduced the minimum for social distancing to three feet between students and fully vaccinated teachers and other staff. In addition, the ISBE guidance updated school capacity limits and now defines them as a building’s ability to accommodate social distancing.

In response to this, some school districts have notified their parents that students will be able to return to in-person instruction five days a week after they return from their spring break. However, similar suggestions made in Option 2 of D308's Phase 3 hybrid learning, were not approved by the board.

Option 2 stated that:

• Early childhood students would be in school in person for five days instead of four.
• Elementary students would have five half-days of in-person learning instead of four.
• Junior High and High School students would have five days of in-person learning instead of four.

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