Troy Moving To All Remote Learning: 'Closing All Buildings'

JOLIET, IL —Now that the dangerous and deadly coronavirus has seen a surge in Illinois and here locally, Troy school administrators revealed Thursday night that the days of students riding the bus and attending class at their respective schools are coming to an end.

"After much personal reflection, we have made the decision to implement an adaptive pause and move to full remote education starting on Monday, November 30 until Wednesday, January 20," Troy School Superintendent Todd Koehl informed parents and staff.

Koehl wanted people to know that his administration office will remain open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day and school buildings will be open during the morning session of the teaching day.

"We will return on January 20th into our current hybrid A/B split model," Troy's superintendent announced. "Our five-day a week special population students will return on this day. For all other students, the 20th will be a full remote day. Thursday the 21st will be A day, and Friday the 22nd will be a B day."

Koehl wanted parents and staff to know that he has some opinions on the topic.

"It is my recommendation that we stay in this hybrid plan until the end of the second trimester on February 26. At this point, we will assess the conditions of moving to the four-hour, five day hybrid plan. We may be able to move to this model sooner if the metrics allow."

For the past several weeks, Troy, unlike the Joliet Public Schools District 86 and Joliet Township High School District 204, has allowed students to resume classroom instruction at their respective buildings two days per week with three days of online learning.

Students at Joliet Central and Joliet West, for instance, have done online learning the entire school year.

"This is not an easy change to make," Superintendent Koehl remarked. "Our current model is working well; however, the level of community transmission has impacted our ability to keep staff and students in school. At this point, it is prudent to pause. Next week, we may face several staffing issues. As such, we may need to push specific classrooms and teams to remote in advance of Thanksgiving break.

"I would not be telling the truth if I said I am not disappointed. I can only imagine how it is for you as you balance your personal safety, work, and your families. Thank you for being so strong. It goes without saying that your consistent focus on your student and our staff lifts me daily. I owe each of you a significant debt of gratitude for sustaining me through these times."