February 19, 2021

 

The District 57 Task Force gave a presentation to the School Board last night, sharing its extensive research, parent and staff survey results, and recommendations for learning models this spring and next fall. Before I get into the specifics, I want to stress that I’m aware there will be a wide range of responses to the recommendations. There are many different ideas and passionate feelings about what our path forward should be. This is an emotional time for everyone as we approach one year of dealing with the pandemic. And that’s to be expected since the well-being of the children of this community is of utmost importance to parents, Board members, and D57 educators, and administrators alike.

 

 

Here is a summary of the four recommendations the Task Force presented:

 

 

These are only recommendations, and the School Board will make the final decision about our spring learning plan, as well as the plan for next fall. You can find much more detail about how the Task Force came to these recommendations, including survey results and the various options considered in the Board presentation and report on our website’s COVID-19 page. 

 

Board members asked many questions of the Task Force and administration last night and had a lengthy debate over the options. They discussed the possibility of following the Task Force recommendation of continuing the current hybrid/full-remote models in the spring but making some improvements. There was also a discussion about transitioning to a full-day model with less than six feet of social distance. Board members asked administration to present a plan for that model at the next meeting on March 4, when they will further review the options and decide about the spring learning plan.

The Task Force comprises people representing many backgrounds and perspectives – parents, District staff, myself, and Dr. Gorr. Everyone took the role very seriously, meeting several times as a large group and working in teams, as well as doing independent work. The members diligently analyzed research and survey results, had honest and sometimes emotional discussions, and worked their way toward the thoughtful development of detailed recommendations. They worked right up to the last minute, even analyzing the recently released CDC guidance.

 

I would like to recognize those who took on this critical responsibility: parents Kimberly Arvanites, Zoi Giannakopoulos, Chris Hoff, Kasia McGrew, Jill Morgan, and Mike Murtagh; District nurse Kim Finnerty; MPESPA president/instructional assistant/parent Jenny McGoon; and teacher Diane Rush. Thanks to Chris, Mike, and Jill for representing the task force last night and giving such a clear and detailed presentation to the Board.

 

Thanks also to all of the community members who have emailed the administrators and the Board and those who came to the meeting last night to make comments. I assure you that we hear the many perspectives and experiences shared, and all of the input we receive is taken into account as we work to improve learning during the pandemic and meet the needs of our students as best as we possibly can.