Kindergartners Return To Classrooms Thursday In Deerfield 109

DEERFIELD, IL — Following recommendations from a school task force, Deerfield Public School District 109 is allowing kindergartners to return to the classroom Thursday as part of a hybrid learning plan that breaks up the school day into halves. All other elementary students will remain on 109 Online until their phase-in date, but they will have their schedules modified to mirror the in-person hybrid schedule.

As part of the plan, roughly half of the kindergartners will attend school in the morning, with the other half doing in-person in the afternoon. First and second grade will follow suit Tuesday, with Oct. 1 the target date for third grade and Oct. 5 for fourth and fifth graders. Full-time remote learning is still available.

The reasoning for the half days, according to comprehensive re-entry plan for the 2020-21 school year, is it allows for smaller classes and enables the district to abide by physical distancing guidelines, while maximizing educational and social-emotional impact.

Significant health and safety modifications are being implemented in all buildings, according to the plan.

The task force, formed in July, is made up of nine parents, seven teachers, four administrators, three experts and two school board members. Earlier this month, they were forced to address a complaint related to the Open Meetings Act that alleges the group could be interpreted as a public body governed by the act. That matter has been resolved, and the task force will continue to meet regularly during the implementation stages of the plan.

At the direction of the Board of Education, District 109 is now surveying middle school parents to gauge their interest in moving to a hybrid model of instruction versus staying with 109 Online. The board has called a special board meeting Tuesday to use these results as part ofits decision on which direction to proceed. The survey can be found here. It closes at 9 a.m. Friday.

Related:
Deerfield School Re-Entry Task Force Halts Effort Amid Complaint
Deerfield Parents Demand In-Person Learning
Virtual Learning To Begin School Year For Deerfield District 109