District 303 High Schools To Start New Year With Remote Learning

ST. CHARLES, IL — A week after telling parents of their plans to bring students in all levels back to the classroom this month, District 303 officials announced Monday that their high schools will not reopen until after Labor Day at the earliest.

The district hopes to begin welcoming small groups of students back into its schools Sept. 8, District 303 Superintendent Jason Pearson and school board President Nicholas Manheim said in an update to parents.

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Students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades will spend one day in class during the first six days of the new school year, which starts Aug. 19, the two District 303 leaders said.

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The district will split students at Wredling and Thompson middle schools into six groups, with just one group attending school each day between Aug. 19 and Aug. 26 while the other five groups participate in remote instruction, officials said.

Starting Aug. 27, the district hopes to begin using its hybrid model that calls for middle school students to rotate between the classroom and home each day, officials said.

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“At this time, we feel that the safest option for in-person learning is to slowly bring in-person students and staff members back using a staggered phase-in approach,” Pearson and Manheim said.

Elementary students will return to school Aug. 19 and spend the first three days operating on a half-day schedule. Officials hope to start using the hybrid model by Aug. 24 for students in kindergarten through second grade, and by Aug. 26 for students in grades three through five.

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For the first three days of the new school year, elementary students will be dismissed at lunchtime and will be able to grab a meal to take home with them. Officials have said students will be assigned a remote-learning activity to complete each afternoon.

Students in kindergarten through 12th grade who enrolled in remote learning for the fall semester will begin the new school year Aug. 19. The district’s remote early childhood program begins Aug. 24.

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Students will be required to wear masks and practice social distancing while inside facilities, and students and staff members must certify each morning that they are free of coronavirus-related symptoms before reaching school.

“Opening schools for in-person learning safely is a communitywide effort,” Pearson and Manheim said. “It is important that students, staff and families not only follow guidelines for masks and social distancing at school, but also anytime they are in a public setting.”

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The two leaders warned that District 303 may be forced to revert to full-time remote learning “on short notice” due to rising coronavirus cases in Illinois and across the U.S.

“Please begin planning now for what they may look like for your family,” Pearson and Manheim urged parents.

More details about the district’s reopening schedule can be found here.

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