Oswego D308 Pauses Reopening Plan Amid Coronavirus Surge

OSWEGO, IL — In response to the rising local and regional numbers of COVID-19, the Oswego School District 308 announced during Tuesday that it will not be moving forward with the reopening plan. This includes shifting special education learning to fully remote, and delaying the return of elementary and early childhood students to classrooms until January.

In a letter to D308 parents, Director of Communications and Public Relations Theresa Komitas, said the general education early childhood and elementary students will not begin classes on Nov.30. Instead, these students will begin no earlier than Jan.6. The return date will depend on the current health situation. More information regarding specific start dates will be communicated in late December.

"Related services, instructional support and targeted skills review will occur 1:1 on-site. This reduction in group settings for students and staff further reduces the potential risk for transmission of COVID-19 in the school setting," she said. "The frequency and duration of services provided in person will also be adjusted."

The buildings will remain open, with office staff, service-providers, operations and nursing staff, along with teachers opting to use their classrooms to conduct remote learning. All current mitigation measures will remain in place, including face covering requirements.

The district will also continue to take reports of any symptomatic, exposed or positive cases of COVID-19, conducting a thorough evaluation to determine any close contacts and required exclusionary periods.

The school district began the school year in August with all of its more than 17,000 students in full remote learning due to the pandemic. Special education students returned to classrooms Oct. 19, while elementary and early childhood students were initially scheduled to return to in-person classroom instruction under a hybrid learning plan this month. The district's junior high and high school students are scheduled to return under a hybrid plan after the winter break in January.

The return of early childhood and elementary students had already been delayed from its initial Nov. 9 start date when Superintendent John Sparlin announced Oct. 30 that they cannot bring back the students before Nov. 30. However, coronavirus conditions have significantly worsened since then, with Gov. J.B. Pritzker announcing Tier 3 mitigations across the state of Tuesday.

Changes to the district's plan include:

• The final day for in-person special education classes will now be Nov. 20.
• Beginning Nov. 30, the self-contained special education classes will be conducted remotely, with scheduled related services, instructional support, targeted skills training, and itinerant services commencing in person. These will be scheduled in coordination with providers/instructors and parents.
• Jan.6 is the target date to begin moving classes back to an optional hybrid in-person model for all levels. Details on the schedule will be communicated no later than Dec. 22.

"We appreciate your continued cooperation and understanding as we navigate the challenges of education amid a pandemic," Komitas said.

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