District 41 Plans To Return To 5 Days In-Person Learning In April

GLEN ELLYN, IL — Glen Ellyn School District 41 is joining a number of school districts in the western suburbs in setting its sights on returning to five days of in-person instruction come April. At Monday's board of education meeting, District Superintendent Melissa Kaczkowski outlined a plan to shift back to five full days of in-person learning.

The move comes after updated guidance from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) that prioritizes in-person instruction. The new guidelines recommend a minimum of three feet of social distancing between masked students and fully vaccinated staff members.

Additionally, school capacity limits for in-person learning are now defined by "the space's ability to accommodate social distancing," according to ISBE.

Classroom layouts are expected to change to allow for three feet of social distancing, with the plan being to use "all available space," Kaczkowski said during Monday's meeting.

District 41 students will still need to maintain six feet of distance between them during their lunch period, which means half of students will eat in their classrooms, whereas the other half will eat in an "alternate location and outside when needed," according to the district's outline.

"In order to get that six feet, we might have to get creative," Kaczkowski said, suggesting that the district may employ a picnic lunch in which students sit on towels or washable mats that are brought from home. "Those big lunchroom tables are very hard to do six feet distancing and get many kids in there at all," she added.

Per District 41's plan, parents will still be able to opt for fully remote instruction for their children, but a blended learning option will no longer be available. Parents are set to receive communication this week that will allow them to choose between fully in-person or fully remote instruction.

Grades 1 through 8 would be in classes from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Kindergarten A.M. would run from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., whereas kindergarten P.M. would run from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Students enrolled in early childhood A.M. classes would attend school from 8:50 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. Students enrolled in early childhood P.M. classes would attend school from 12:40 p.m. to 3:10 p.m.

Currently, the district plans to return to full-time, in-person learning "sometime in April," but more details and a specific timeline are expected at the March 22 board of education meeting.

Per a recent survey, District 41 reports that 54 percent of parents supported a return to full, in-person learning during the 2020-21 school year. In contrast, 22 percent of parents said they were not in favor of such a shift. The remaining 24 percent either did not complete the survey or responded that they were unsure.