District 230 Students' First Day Pushed Back For Teacher Planning

TINLEY PARK, IL — District No. 230 officials elected to push students' first day back to school after winter break to the Jan. 7 instead of Jan. 6 after a surge in COVID-19 cases across the south suburbs.

According to a social media post from the district representing Stagg, Sandburg and Andrew high schools, administration also wanted to allow teachers and staff an extra day before students returned to the building in order to give teachers additional time to plan how to wrap up the final few days of the first semester.

As many students had to quarantine over the last week of school leading into winter break, officials said some students will need to take final exams and finish other work before they can formally begin their second semester.

The change was approved by the school board in December, meaning teachers will have the regularly scheduled institute day on Jan. 5 and an unstructured workday on Jan. 6 without students.

"The district has one more day than required by the State in its approved calendar which allows for the flexibility to change Thursday, January 6 to a non-attendance day for students," a spokesperson for the school told Patch.

District No. 210 Lincoln-Way high schools also voted to alter their first week back to school by switching to remote learning through Jan. 7.

The first day for students at Victor J. Andrew High School will be Friday, Jan. 7.