D202 To Start School Year With Remote Learning Amid Pandemic

`PLAINFIELD, IL — The Plainfield School District will start the 2020-2021 school year with remote learning Aug. 24, with the possibility of returning to in-person learning during the second quarter of the fall if COVID-19 conditions allow.

District 202 Superintendent Dr. Lane Abrell unveiled the district’s proposed Return '20 Plan at a special Board of Education Committee of the Whole meeting Wednesday. The board is expected to vote on the proposal at its regular July 20 meeting.

"We believe this plan meets everyone’s top priority, which will always be the health and safety of our 25,000 students and 3,200 staff members," Abrell said.

According to the plan, the district's objective is to develop a logical, concrete and sequential plan to return to school prioritizing the safety of students and staff and guided by the most up-to-date information, while also respecting Centers for Disease Control, American Association of Pediatrics and Illinois State Board of Education guidelines.

Based on the input from more than 33,300 parent, student and staff comments collected through several surveys this spring and summer, a three-phase reopening plan has been created.

Phase 4A- Remote Learning

The school year will start with remote learning in an abundance of caution and concern for student and staff safety.

"We have worked very hard since this spring to significantly strengthen our remote learning capabilities and resources," Abrell said. We believe we can effectively and efficiently educate and support our students remotely until it is safe for them and our staff to return to school in person."

This phase allows for:

• Education through improved remote learning platform or model.
• A consistent schedule with benchmarks for return for students, families, teachers, and staff.
• Continuing to feed students in need. Meals for free and reduced qualifying students will be available.
• Falling back into phase 3 (total remote learning) and moving forward to Phase 5 (full in person, traditional schedule) without much lead time.
• Continued monitoring of COVID-related cases.
• Additional time for delivery of PPE supplies to district.
• Observation of school districts that open with in-person attendance.

Daily attendance will be taken, students will be given assignments/assessments and grades will be assigned. Over the summer, teams of teachers created exemplar model Google Classroom lessons that colleagues can access for templates, resources, or an example to refer to during remote learning. See here for more information on Phase 4A.

Phase 4B- Blended/Hybrid

District officials will monitor COVID-19 conditions through the first six weeks of school. If conditions improve sufficiently, students could return to school in person for the second quarter of the year starting Oct. 19.

This phase allows for:

• Evaluating conditions during the first 6 weeks of 1st quarter of the 2020-21 school year to guide decisions regarding return to buildings for second nine weeks of school.
• Moving to in-person instruction (possible A/B day or hybrid schedule) with robust safety protocols and guidelines, including student and staff wearing masks indoors at all times.
• A consistent schedule with benchmarks for return for students, families, teachers, and staff.
• Continuing to feed students in need.
• Combines in-person instruction and remote learning.
• Half of student population attends school daily.
• Student A or B day determined by family so students in different grade levels from the same family attend on the same days.
• Allows for control of gradual return to in-person attendance by limiting numbers in attendance.

If student starts second quarter in-person, the student may opt out of in-person learning and opt in to remote learning at any time, for any reason for the remainder of the semester. However, the student cannot start second quarter in remote learning and later opt in to in-person learning.

Students could return sooner if conditions improve rapidly. Remote learning would continue if the pandemic conditions do not improve.

Phase 4C– Return to Partial Schedule or Partial In-Person Learning

Finally, if conditions significantly improve, students could return to in-person learning in larger, more normal” numbers, again with robust safety protocols and guidelines. Parents would still be able to choose whether to send students back to school. Building administration will share plan details with families once the proposal is approved.

"We have to crawl before we walk, and walk before we run," Abrell said.

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