5th Largest School District in Illinois, Plainfield, Plans for Remote Learning for First Quarter
**UPDATE: Board vote 3-3, plan for all-virtual 1st quarter fails to pass**
Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202, a Unit District serving students from Pre-K to 12th grade, held a special board meeting July 15, 2020 where a plan to start the school year with remote learning was described. The District plans to be fully remote for the 1st quarter of school, and will evaluate plans for the 2nd quarter while continually monitoring the situation.
The plan will go before the board for an official vote on July 20, 2020.
More information on the plan for Fall 2020 and a recording of the July 15, 2020 meeting can be found on the District's website.
As you can hear from the meeting recording, administrators cited teacher concerns around returning to the building as a factor in the all-remote plan. Furthermore, anticipated teacher call outs and anticipated difficulty in filling those spots with substitutes were discussed.
District 202 Press Release:
"D. 202 would start year with remote learning under flexible plan -- Students may return in person later based on pandemic status
Jul 15, 2020
District 202 students would start the 2020-21 school year with remote learning but could return to in-person learning for the second quarter this fall if COVID-19 conditions allow, under a proposal unveiled Wednesday.
District 202 Superintendent Dr. Lane Abrell shared the district’s proposed “Return ‘20” plan at a special Board of Education “Committee of the Whole” meeting. The Board is expected to vote on the proposal at its regular meeting next Monday, July 20, 2020.
The proposal, a video of the special meeting and a special email to comment directly to Board members and district administration are posted under the “D. 202 Return ‘20 Plan” icon on the front page of the District 202 website.
“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. The proposal reflects input from nearly 29,000 parent, student and staff comments collected through several surveys this spring and summer.
“We have worked very hard since this spring to significantly strengthen our remote learning capabilities and resources. 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,” Abrell said.
If the proposed plan is approved, students would start school on August 24, 2020.
The district will distribute laptops to all 6th-12th graders between August 17-21, 2020. The district is exploring providing laptops for 4th and 5th graders as well.
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 the second quarter of the year, which starts October 19, 2020.
Students could return sooner if conditions improve rapidly. Remote learning would continue if the pandemic conditions do not improve.
In-person instruction would be held on either a partial/modified or hybrid schedule depending on circumstances, to limit numbers of students in buildings. Options include A/B schedules and/or blended remote and in-person learning.
Parents will be able to choose whether to send students back to school if in-person learning resumes after the first nine weeks of school.
In any case, in-person instruction would require robust safety protocols and guidelines, including students and staff wearing masks indoors at all times per current state guidance.
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."
Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202, a Unit District serving students from Pre-K to 12th grade, held a special board meeting July 15, 2020 where a plan to start the school year with remote learning was described. The District plans to be fully remote for the 1st quarter of school, and will evaluate plans for the 2nd quarter while continually monitoring the situation.
The plan will go before the board for an official vote on July 20, 2020.
More information on the plan for Fall 2020 and a recording of the July 15, 2020 meeting can be found on the District's website.
As you can hear from the meeting recording, administrators cited teacher concerns around returning to the building as a factor in the all-remote plan. Furthermore, anticipated teacher call outs and anticipated difficulty in filling those spots with substitutes were discussed.
District 202 Press Release:
"D. 202 would start year with remote learning under flexible plan -- Students may return in person later based on pandemic status
Jul 15, 2020
District 202 students would start the 2020-21 school year with remote learning but could return to in-person learning for the second quarter this fall if COVID-19 conditions allow, under a proposal unveiled Wednesday.
District 202 Superintendent Dr. Lane Abrell shared the district’s proposed “Return ‘20” plan at a special Board of Education “Committee of the Whole” meeting. The Board is expected to vote on the proposal at its regular meeting next Monday, July 20, 2020.
The proposal, a video of the special meeting and a special email to comment directly to Board members and district administration are posted under the “D. 202 Return ‘20 Plan” icon on the front page of the District 202 website.
“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. The proposal reflects input from nearly 29,000 parent, student and staff comments collected through several surveys this spring and summer.
“We have worked very hard since this spring to significantly strengthen our remote learning capabilities and resources. 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,” Abrell said.
If the proposed plan is approved, students would start school on August 24, 2020.
The district will distribute laptops to all 6th-12th graders between August 17-21, 2020. The district is exploring providing laptops for 4th and 5th graders as well.
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 the second quarter of the year, which starts October 19, 2020.
Students could return sooner if conditions improve rapidly. Remote learning would continue if the pandemic conditions do not improve.
In-person instruction would be held on either a partial/modified or hybrid schedule depending on circumstances, to limit numbers of students in buildings. Options include A/B schedules and/or blended remote and in-person learning.
Parents will be able to choose whether to send students back to school if in-person learning resumes after the first nine weeks of school.
In any case, in-person instruction would require robust safety protocols and guidelines, including students and staff wearing masks indoors at all times per current state guidance.
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."
