For the past year, District Administration has closely monitored COVID-19 metrics and the changing guidelines from public health officials, and we have done our absolute best to plan learning models that meet the needs of students while keeping them and staff as safe as possible. At last night’s School Board meeting, we made a recommendation that represents a new direction in our planning. We did so after careful consideration based on improvements in our community – in terms of reduced metrics, the increasing number of staff members who are vaccinated, and recent successes of surrounding districts that have implemented full-time in-person learning.

We recommended that District 57 implement a full-time, in-person learning model starting Monday, April 12. Students whose families do not select this option will either have full remote learning or participate in a livestream model. Board members agreed with our recommendation and gave approval for us to move toward implementation. We also recommended against an adaptive pause after spring break, based on the improvements in metrics and the fact that none of our neighboring districts are taking a pause. The Board agreed with this recommendation as well. Anyone who travels will be expected to follow the recently updated Cook County Department of Public Health Guidelines.

There are many implications of full-time, in-person learning. First, we likely will not be able to guarantee the six feet of physical distancing recommended by the CDC and Illinois and Cook County Departments of Public Health. This includes during lunchtime, due to supervisor and space limitations. It’s also possible we will not be able to have a dedicated remote teacher for every student who selects remote learning (if enrollment for a remote section is not enough to allow for a full-time teacher). In that scenario, remote students would then livestream into an in-person classroom, which we understand is not a comparable experience to having a full-time remote teacher. We do believe there will be enough demand to continue to have dedicated remote teachers, but we can’t promise this without knowing our exact enrollment. There will likely also be teacher changes as we transition to this new model. We acknowledge that changing teachers can be very challenging for some students, and we will put thoughtful planning in place to support smooth transitions for students.

Please visit this link for more information about what the spring learning models will entail. On Monday, families will receive an email with more information and a link to the spring enrollment form.

There has obviously been a lot of emotion surrounding these issues. We hear every day from many people who have different perspectives and experiences, including those who prefer the current hybrid and remote models. I know some of you will be disappointed by this change. We want to be responsive and meet everyone’s needs, but, unfortunately, there is no solution that will perfectly align with every family’s needs and preferences. 

These are the main factors that figured into our recommendation: 

Metrics and staff vaccinations: COVID-19 rates in suburban Cook County and Mount Prospect are generally improving. District 214 has been making vaccinations available to staff in its feeder districts. We have helped coordinate this and schedule appointments, and more than 60 of our staff took advantage of this option. Many others were already vaccinated. So by April 12, the majority of District 57 staff will be two weeks out from receiving a second vaccination. 

Evidence of success: Other local districts that have implemented a full-time in-person model have experienced success, for the most part. We’ve been in close contact and have learned from their recent journeys. We believe their experiences will help us as we take this step.

Learning/social-emotional benefits: Students greatly benefit from in-person learning, academically and emotionally. It has always been our goal to get as many students as possible back in the buildings as soon as it’s safe to do so. We believe that time is now.

 

I would like to thank the community and staff members who served on the Task Force and worked hard to come up with a recommendation for the Board. The recommendation we made last night differed from the Task Force, but I want to acknowledge that this is in large part due to how much our situation has changed in recent weeks, particularly with metrics and staff vaccinations. We value the research the Task Force conducted and the thoughtful consideration given to all of the issues, and we hope the members will continue to play a role as we plan for the fall. I also thank the many community members on all sides of the issue who have reached out and shared their thoughts, including the students who spoke at the meeting last night.

We appreciate your patience and involvement as the situation has evolved. We’re making good progress and are hopeful that spring will bring positive things for our District 57 community.