In-Person Class Resumes Tuesday After D202 Uses 2 Emergency Days

PLAINFIELD, IL — After Plainfield School District 202 officials used two emergency days and cancelled school due to spiking COVID-19 cases among bus drivers, class will resume in person Tuesday, officials announced Monday afternoon.

"While remote learning is an option, in-person learning is always our preference and goal," reads a message from District 202. "If circumstances dictate, remote instruction may be utilized and we will communicate that information out as soon as possible."

Classes, both in person and remote, for students and staff were canceled Friday and Monday as a result of a continued high rate of COVID-19 among bus drivers. In an email to the community on Sunday, Director of Community Relations Tom Hernandez said the increase left "no bus drivers for about 2,000 students around the district," making it "impossible" to hold in-person class.

Although he couldn't comment regarding bus drivers' COVID-19 cases since they're private contractors, Hernandez told Patch Monday enough bus drivers are available to transport students district-wide to school.

Not all problems are resolved, though, as some special education students will continue to be affected Tuesday, according to Hernandez. He said bus service might only be available in the morning but not the afternoon for some, and vice versa for others.

The choice to use two emergency days — of a total of five budgeted for the semester — rather than temporarily move to remote learning was made taking weather, district staffing and bus driver shortages into consideration. Between Dec. 29 and Jan. 7, 201 staff members and 958 District 202 students tested positive for COVID-19, according to district data.

When asked if student and staff testing positive impacted the decision to cancel school, Hernandez said: "Lots of staff, lots of bus drivers, lots of kids, bad weather...it was the whole thing."

He said the administration felt "taking an emergency day now and tacking it onto the end of the year ... was the better, safer more logical, efficient way to do it."

"It's not an easy answer because it's a system-wide challenge," Hernandez said. "We are in a position and we believe we will continue to be in a position ... to make this work."

Staff shortages or not, Hernandez said the district encourages carpooling on a regular basis.

RELATED: No School Monday: D202 Uses Second Emergency Day Due To COVID-19