Coronavirus Rates Make North Shore School District 112 Go Remote

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — North Shore School District 112 will shift to fully remote learning for at least 10 days starting Wednesday, administrators announced.

Superintendent Mike Lubelfeld said he was proud of the district's nearly eight weeks of a hybrid of in-person and remote learning, which he said had worked very well.

But the growing community spread in Lake County — where public health officials are reporting the highest number of daily new coronavirus cases since the spring — has been affecting the district's operations, Lubelfeld told parents Tuesday.

"Even though we have been remarkably successful in the Hybrid learning model for more than 3,200 students, today we notice a continued uptick in absences for both students and staff, and we’re concerned that the trends in the community, county, region and state are all starting to impact us in D112," Lubelfeld said. "We are part of the community, we are not immune from this significant community spread."

An increasing number of students are under quarantine and are unable to attend in-person classes, Lubelfeld told parents. With a pivot to e-learning, he said, quarantining students will receive the same program of instruction as in hybrid.

RELATED: Remote Learning Recommended Amid Rising Lake County Coronavirus Rate

The Lake County Health Department has also recommended that all public and private school districts in the county shift to fully remote learning due to rising rates of community spread.

In order to recommend a return to hybrid schedules, the rate of daily new cases, which currently stands at more than 22 new infections per 100,000 residents, would need to decline to under 15 new cases a day per 100,000 people and remain there for a week, according to a release from the health department.

A meeting of the District 112 school board is scheduled for Tuesday evening. Administrators are set to present data on the impact of COVID-19 on academic growth.