Here's Elmhurst D-205's Plan For Fall Semester

ELMHURST, IL — Elmhurst is no different from other towns: The public is split on how to operate schools during the coronavirus pandemic.

This week, Elmhurst School District 205 took a blended approach. For middle and high school students, it is splitting students into two groups and will have them attend some days in school and other days remotely. Under the plan, parents would have the choice of their children being educated remotely all the time.

Check Elmhurst School District 205's plan for reopening.

School will start Aug. 24, rather than earlier, as originally planned. Gov. J.B. Pritzker is requiring students and school staff to wear masks, except when they are having lunch or are outside.

At its meeting Tuesday, the school board, whose members were connected remotely, approved a plan for moving forward with school during the pandemic. School officials acknowledged they would likely make changes to the plan over the next few months.

Members heard nearly an hour of written comments being read, many of which were about how to proceed. The opinions ranged from continuing with remote learning to requiring in-person schooling without masks.

For middle and high school students, Group A students would attend school Monday and Tuesday and take lessons remotely Thursday and Friday, with Group B doing the reverse. For both groups, Wednesday would be designated as a day for intensive intervention, programming or remote learning, according to the district. On that day, 25 to 33 percent of students would be at school.

Under the plan, elementary students would attend school every day. But if conditions worsen, Group A students are set to attend school in person Monday and Tuesday and then remotely Wednesday through Friday. Group B would be the exact reverse.

The district said members of the two groups would be determined in the coming weeks.

Under the plan, students would be provided five hours of instruction during remote days.

At the meeting, board member Chris Kocinski noted the schools had to transition to remote learning in the spring quickly, which he called a "messy" process.

As the weeks passed, Kocinski said he learned that remote learning in the district was "quite insufficient in terms of quality for their learning." The bar for this school year, he said, is high. He wanted to know what requirements, not suggestions, were being set for instruction.

Scott Grens, an assistant superintendent, said the district planned to provide technological support and professional development to add to teachers' "instructional toolbox." He said the district would strive to be "thoughtful" and look for ways to improve.

Kocinski said he wanted to get more information on requirements.

"One of the points of the feedback was the unevenness of remote learning," he said. "We had certain instruction occurring at a very high degree of engagement with students. We had others with a total lack of engagement with students for a prolonged period of time."

He said he would like to see steps to narrow that gap.

"The reaction from the community would be significantly negative if we don't make pretty massive strides in remote learning," Kocinski said.