District 300 Releases Its Return To School Plan

CARPENTERSVILLE, IL — District 300 has released its return to school plan as students are set to be back in class in four weeks, school officials said Tuesday. During a Board of Education meeting Tuesday, D300 Superintendent Fred Heid shared with the public the new rules for in-person instruction, which align with the Illinois State Board of Education standards regarding safety amid continued concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

Both middle school and elementary school students will have daily in-person instruction with some modifications in place. At the elementary school level, District 300 will increase recess opportunities throughout the day and middle schools will have a modified bell schedule that is meant to minimize traffic in the halls, Heid said during the hearing.

Get the latest news for Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Patch: Sign up for breaking news alerts and our daily newsletters.

At the high school level, half of the student population will receive in-person instruction on any given day while the other half will receive remote learning, Heid said. And then they will switch with students on campus at least two days per week. Classes will be broadcast live for those who are learning from home, Heid said.

• Illinois Coronavirus Update July 15: 155,506 Cases, 7,218 Deaths

Meanwhile, school is set to starts on Aug. 13 for all D300 students. A student with a medical exemptions or families with other specific concerns can enroll in full-time e-learning.

All students will be required to wear face coverings while riding the bus, when they arrive to school and during dismissal from school and at all times during the school days. Staff must wear a mask or a face shield at all times of the day. In addition, D300 staff has been working to install 2,000 hand sanitizer stations throughout its buildings and is working to find ways to encourage six foot distancing throughout the buildings during the school day.

There will be several precautions in place including daily screening procedures that will include a daily screening each morning for students, daily screenings by parents and daily random screenings at schools. Lockers will not be used this year, more partitions and screens will be in use in common areas, locker rooms and physical education rooms will be shut down and no more than 50 students will be allowed on a school bus at a time. In addition, this year's handbook, which will be available soon for parents, will stress the importance of parents following the sick day policy, keeping kids home 48 hours of a fever breaking, Heid said.

The school district will be holding virtual town hall meetings over the next two weeks that address specific issues including cleaning cleaning, meal service and social distancing. Those wishing to submit a question to be answered during those meetings can do so via e-mail at backtoschool@d300.org.

The full meeting can be viewed via the District 300 YouTube channel

MORE ON PATCH

• District 47's 3 Options For Reopening Schools