Hinsdale D86 Returning to School with Hybrid Model

[RD_Watcher]

Hinsdale D86 BOE (Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South) unanimously approved a plan for students to return with a hybrid of in-school and remote learning. Students will be split into "pods", keeping the numbers in the building to a minimum on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 8am-1pm with no lunch periods; Wednesdays will be 100% remote learning for everyone. Families that do not feel safe with the Hybrid plan can choose to go 100% remote learning, but will have to stick to their choice for the entire 1st semester.

With this model, if IHSA, IHDP, and/or ISBE approve any fall sports, all students will be eligible to participate - including those choosing the remote learning option.

 

[mates1]

A school district beginning the year with ALL eLearning will be doing a disservice to all. I feel the motivation would be minimal to get out of that default mode once started - I could see it being dragged out. To actually get the building going to some extent would be very revealing in terms of seeing school day activity play out in terms of truly evaluating capacities and best health practices for the specific environment. Finally, I am beginning to tire of teachers trying to place their safety concerns above the millions of other essential workers who have been putting themselves at risk in part allowing the teachers to go about their lives for recent months. Apply for a leave and get out of the way if choosing not to participate?

 

[olderbytheminute]

Waukegan is a K-12 school district and it is starting the school year with ALL online learning. 16,000 students according to story in K-12. Story also says this part of a four-part plan "could last a long time."
Waukegan now joins North Suburban Conference sports members Stevenson, Warren, Zion-Benton and Lake Forest as schools with zero physical attendance to start the year.
That leaves Libertyville, Mundelein and Lake Zurich still to report.
Yes, I know the IHSA has said online learning does not automatically disqualify a school from having extracurricular activities on school grounds.
When you find a school board that says absolutely no physical school attendance from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. and then yes, come to the school from 3-6 p.m. for various activities, let me know.
The idea of jamming all sports seasons into a January-July time frame is the guess here of what is going to happen.
And, yes, it's possible the virus will still be around and strong in January.
For supporters of extracurricular activities, this is not good news.
And this is being written by someone who has a special-needs grand-daughter who is 8 years old and learned nothing last spring when her school went to online learning and is headed for a fall semester of online learning again. She was way behind regular second graders last year and she's going to fall further and further behind as my special needs grand-daughter does not function well with the computer screen in front of her.
So I really want everybody back in school physically everywhere, and it's obviously not going to happen.

 

[Gene K.]

So! If any school district has full time e-learning, how can they in good conscience allow any type of sports, varsity or other to occur? What would be the rationale which would allow those sports to occur? Wouldn't make any sense to me! There are many kids who have special needs which this e-learning is not appropriate for. Perhaps a class action law suit for this type of child is what is needed to wake up our school districts.

 

[mates1]

So! If any school district has full time e-learning, how can they in good conscience allow any type of sports, varsity or other to occur? What would be the rationale which would allow those sports to occur? Wouldn't make any sense to me! There are many kids who have special needs which this e-learning is not appropriate for. Perhaps a class action law suit for this type of child is what is needed to wake up our school districts.

Good luck with academic eligibility and school attendance requirements for IHSA participation. It will be "anything goes," given the difficulty in documenting those.

 

[olderbytheminute]

Waukegan is a K-12 school district and it is starting the school year with ALL online learning. 16,000 students according to story in K-12. Story also says this part of a four-part plan "could last a long time."
Waukegan now joins North Suburban Conference sports members Stevenson, Warren, Zion-Benton and Lake Forest as schools with zero physical attendance to start the year.
That leaves Libertyville, Mundelein and Lake Zurich still to report.
Yes, I know the IHSA has said online learning does not automatically disqualify a school from having extracurricular activities on school grounds.
When you find a school board that says absolutely no physical school attendance from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. and then yes, come to the school from 3-6 p.m. for various activities, let me know.
The idea of jamming all sports seasons into a January-July time frame is the guess here of what is going to happen.
And, yes, it's possible the virus will still be around and strong in January.
For supporters of extracurricular activities, this is not good news.
And this is being written by someone who has a special-needs grand-daughter who is 8 years old and learned nothing last spring when her school went to online learning and is headed for a fall semester of online learning again. She was way behind regular second graders last year and she's going to fall further and further behind as my special needs grand-daughter does not function well with the computer screen in front of her.
So I really want everybody back in school physically everywhere, and it's obviously not going to happen.

Mundelein also announces it will be all-online learning with school doors closed for the start of the academic year. Basicallly, public schools in Lake County are mostly in total shutdown mode for September.

 

[sporthog9er]

And all so unnecessary too. We will look back a year from now and wonder what the hell we were thinking.

 

[RD_Watcher]

Good luck with academic eligibility and school attendance requirements for IHSA participation. It will be "anything goes," given the difficulty in documenting those.

Not necessarily. My kids were absolutely required to attend online classes this past spring, and I'd get the normal weekly attendance report. If they missed a class, I would get the same notification as I would throughout the school year.

I'm not sure why so many people think distance learning is such a hard nut to crack. Most universities have had distance learning offerings in place for over 10 years, allowing 3rd party companies to create and modify different solutions. Many High Schools had already adapted some form of distance learning to replace emergency days (snow days or whatever) on the school calendars.

I have a feeling (no proof, but suspect) many of the schools choosing to be 100% remote have been influenced by the teacher unions in their area, and are operating under the worn out "in an abundance of caution" line.

 

[AmbroseBlack]

Homewood-Flossmoor is also starting the year remotely.

 

[pjjp]

I have a feeling (no proof, but suspect) many of the schools choosing to be 100% remote have been influenced by the teacher unions in their area, and are operating under the worn out "in an abundance of caution" line.

Plainfield District 202 proposed a plan that was all remote learning for at least the first quarter of the year. The school board was split (voted 3-3), which means a new plan needs to be brought to the board. The teachers responded by picketing outside the administration offices. They want remote learning.

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020...-remote-learning-when-school-resumes/awdpe9y/

 

[RD_Watcher]

Plainfield District 202 proposed a plan that was all remote learning for at least the first quarter of the year. The school board was split (voted 3-3), which means a new plan needs to be brought to the board. The teachers responded by picketing outside the administration offices. They want remote learning.

This is something the administration noted in the presentation to the BOE in D86 - Teachers and parents were involved with the planning and development of the 5 models the subcommittee presented to the Administration. Only one of those models consisted of 100% remote learning. In my opinion, not only having the teachers and parents involved
created community ownership, it created leverage by the administration, as they are able to point out all stakeholders had a voice. I have yet to hear of any discontent from the D86 Teachers Union, and the vocal parent groups are for more time in the classroom, not less.

 

[bronco19]

St. Viator will be in school full time at the start with the option to go virtually. Problem is the majority of the school has no A/C.

 

[mates1]

Many High Schools had already adapted some form of distance learning to replace emergency days (snow days or whatever) on the school calendars.

Yes, but the leap from filling in a few emergency days to an open-ended full curriculum to start the school year spanning special need plans up through Advanced Placement coursework appears to be the proverbial bridge-too-far.

 

[RD_Watcher]

Yes, but the leap from filling in a few emergency days to an open-ended full curriculum to start the school year spanning special need plans up through Advanced Placement coursework appears to be the proverbial bridge-too-far.

This is a great point.

 

[boonman1]

When do the Teachers Unions start filing law suits ?

 

[RD_Watcher]

When do the Teachers Unions start filing law suits ?

I'm going to assume this possibility is weighed by the BOEs and Administration before making a decision. Most Districts have in house counsel. In D86, the majority of the BOE are also lawyers. They are more upset by the amount of money being spent on benign FOI requests then the possibility of litigation costs associated with the return to school plan.

 

[PowerI66]

Finally, I am beginning to tire of teachers trying to place their safety concerns above the millions of other essential workers who have been putting themselves at risk in part allowing the teachers to go about their lives for recent months. Apply for a leave and get out of the way if choosing not to participate?

I think you would be surprised at the lack of safety measures that are being put in place. At the minimum, the lack of measures that are being communicated to teachers even after specific questions are being asked.

 

[sporthog9er]

Shameful unions are doing this. Embarrassing almost compared to what other workers have endured since March. It's incredible how we all need to trust the science! on everything for covid, but when the science says that kids need to be in school buildings and it's SAFE for them and staff to do so, we simply ignore it. What is education anyway, and who cares what happens to the kids right? What on earth is happening with this profession?

 

[Solid Snake Pliskin]

Shameful unions are doing this. Embarrassing almost compared to what other workers have endured since March. It's incredible how we all need to trust the science! on everything for covid, but when the science says that kids need to be in school buildings and it's SAFE for them and staff to do so, we simply ignore it. What is education anyway, and who cares what happens to the kids right? What on earth is happening with this profession?

Science says kids need to be in buildings? I need to see this, I've never heard of science saying people need to do anything.

 

[sporthog9er]

Science says kids need to be in buildings? I need to see this, I've never heard of science saying people need to do anything.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/reopening-schools.html

Has all the references at the end of the guidance with all the science and data you could want. Unless of course we want to start discrediting the CDC now and the references they pull. They were kind of shady with reporting the Covid data before so maybe all this information isn't good either?

 

[greatgig13]

D155 (CG and the 3 Crystal Lake schools) is giving us the option to do an alternating 2 and 3 day a week in school hybrid or full time remote. I fully expect the hybrid model to implode within a month and have all kids remote.

 

[sporthog9er]

A positive for LW 210 is that if there is a positive case confirmed then they don't have to shut the whole school down, per the recent board meeting. The will county health department will help trace (if possible) and only those exposed within 6ft for at least 15 min or longer of the person will be "asked" to quarantine. School will only be shut down if there is a massive outbreak determined by health department or if mandated by the state for all schools to shut. Good news for many who thought any case would just shut it all down. Hopefully other health departments in counties are acting the same.

 

[mates1]

I think you would be surprised at the lack of safety measures that are being put in place. At the minimum, the lack of measures that are being communicated to teachers even after specific questions are being asked.

Maybe so, but surely they are to be as safe as the folks at the grocery stores who came to work to service our shopping needs in the depths of the shut-down back in March and April.

 

[olderbytheminute]

St. Viator will be in school full time at the start with the option to go virtually. Problem is the majority of the school has no A/C.

Carmel is the Catholic high school in Lake County and it is giving a choice of partial in-school/partial online learning, or all online learning.
I recall reading earlier that Joliet Catholic and I believe some other private schools are going to be open for in-school learning.
I obviously don't know, but I am thinking it has to do with the cost of a private-school education. On google, it says Carmel in Mundelein's annual tuition is $12,500. Leaving sports (and for the purposes of this thread, football), out of it, it's probably still a tough sell to pay $12,500 for online learning.
Listen, I totally believe that a Carmel education academically and spiritually and socially, is worth every dollar that's charged. But there are probably a number of families who don't feel they are getting enough of the academic/spiritual/social extra benefit for that amount of money in an online learning situation..
Hence, the school has to be open for physical learning.
As for sports, the problem is not whether or not Carmel should play or whether or not Joliet Catholic should play, but what to do about all the schools who aren't in physical session and aren't going to be playing.
And while I know nothing in terms of facts, anyone who thinks that come January, that an Evanston vs.New Trier boys basketball game is going to pack the place probably ought to start working now on the cardboard cutouts to place in the empty bleachers.,

 

[PowerI66]

Maybe so, but surely they are to be as safe as the folks at the grocery stores who came to work to service our shopping needs in the depths of the shut-down back in March and April.

Like I said, you would be surprised.

 

[RD_Watcher]

A positive for LW 210 is that if there is a positive case confirmed then they don't have to shut the whole school down, per the recent board meeting. The will county health department will help trace (if possible) and only those exposed within 6ft for at least 15 min or longer of the person will be "asked" to quarantine. School will only be shut down if there is a massive outbreak determined by health department or if mandated by the state for all schools to shut. Good news for many who thought any case would just shut it all down. Hopefully other health departments in counties are acting the same.

This is similar to what Hinsdale is doing. By being in separate pods, they not only lower the amount of people in the building on a given day, but lower the Number of possible exposure. Classes will be half capacity, and teachers will be responsible for ensuring everything is cleaned before the next period. Desks/learning areas will alternate each period, and all students will maintain 6ft distance in each class. Both the kids and the Teachers are being taken care of, and safety measures are being but in place.

 

[stripes13]

FYI: remote learning will not affect a student-athlete’s participation in IHSA sports/activities.

 

[olderbytheminute]

FYI: remote learning will not affect a student-athlete’s participation in IHSA sports/activities.

Everyone understands that. However, the offering of extracurricular activities is the province of each school. Some schools, for example, don't offer lacrosse. Some schools offer girls bowling and/or boys bowling and other don't.
Under the current conditions, I have yet to read a story online from a high school district that has declared it is having all online learning this fall, closing its school from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. each day, and then opening the school so that extracurricular activities can take place, such as girls volleyball using the gyms, girls swimming using the pool, girls tennis using the fieldhouse indoor courts if it's raining, the band practicing in the field house because it's raining, cheerleading which needs mats to practice on, etc. The question is this: If you refuse to open the school for any kind of academic learning (physics lab, chemistry lab, foreign language lab, etc.) how are you going to vote to open the school not for academics, but for athletics and other extracurriculars? It's not going to happen.
If you say schools are wrong to have all-online learning this fall, I agree with you.
But that is what is happening at some schools in the Chicago area.
When. you find a school board that has announced all-online learning this fall and will open the school and its grounds for the band, cheerers, dancers, swimmers, football players, soccer players, etc., please the name the school.

 

[PowerI66]

Everyone understands that. However, the offering of extracurricular activities is the province of each school. Some schools, for example, don't offer lacrosse. Some schools offer girls bowling and/or boys bowling and other don't.
Under the current conditions, I have yet to read a story online from a high school district that has declared it is having all online learning this fall, closing its school from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. each day, and then opening the school so that extracurricular activities can take place, such as girls volleyball using the gyms, girls swimming using the pool, girls tennis using the fieldhouse indoor courts if it's raining, the band practicing in the field house because it's raining, cheerleading which needs mats to practice on, etc. The question is this: If you refuse to open the school for any kind of academic learning (physics lab, chemistry lab, foreign language lab, etc.) how are you going to vote to open the school not for academics, but for athletics and other extracurriculars? It's not going to happen.
If you say schools are wrong to have all-online learning this fall, I agree with you.
But that is what is happening at some schools in the Chicago area.
When. you find a school board that has announced all-online learning this fall and will open the school and its grounds for the band, cheerers, dancers, swimmers, football players, soccer players, etc., please the name the school.

Stevenson https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20...nd-will-continue-remote-learning-through-fall

 

[sporthog9er]

This could also greatly affect day to day for schools who have positive cases. CDC just changed protocols for how long you are needed to quarantine. Could trickle to ISBE guidelines

https://news.yahoo.com/cdc-changes-covid-19-guidance-181928129.html

 

[stripes13]

Everyone understands that. However, the offering of extracurricular activities is the province of each school. Some schools, for example, don't offer lacrosse. Some schools offer girls bowling and/or boys bowling and other don't.
Under the current conditions, I have yet to read a story online from a high school district that has declared it is having all online learning this fall, closing its school from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. each day, and then opening the school so that extracurricular activities can take place, such as girls volleyball using the gyms, girls swimming using the pool, girls tennis using the fieldhouse indoor courts if it's raining, the band practicing in the field house because it's raining, cheerleading which needs mats to practice on, etc. The question is this: If you refuse to open the school for any kind of academic learning (physics lab, chemistry lab, foreign language lab, etc.) how are you going to vote to open the school not for academics, but for athletics and other extracurriculars? It's not going to happen.
If you say schools are wrong to have all-online learning this fall, I agree with you.
But that is what is happening at some schools in the Chicago area.
When. you find a school board that has announced all-online learning this fall and will open the school and its grounds for the band, cheerers, dancers, swimmers, football players, soccer players, etc., please the name the school.

Please read the last paragraph in the OP.

 

[johnndoe]

Shameful unions are doing this. Embarrassing almost compared to what other workers have endured since March. It's incredible how we all need to trust the science! on everything for covid, but when the science says that kids need to be in school buildings and it's SAFE for them and staff to do so, we simply ignore it. What is education anyway, and who cares what happens to the kids right? What on earth is happening with this profession?

My 17-yr. old started work part-time last summer at a senior living complex for just above minimum wage growing attachments you might expect with these folks. When all the March shut-downs hit she did not miss a shift to serve those people through now. Furthermore, the facility did not shut-down to send the residents home for their families to deal with. I know some differences exist compared to the teacher/school situation, but important similarities are present in principle.

 

[johnndoe]

Get this: CPS has joined a federal lawsuit in which several cities and states seek to prevent private schools from getting a share of COVID relief funding they say would be harmful to public school districts.

 

[godfthr53]

Plainfield District 202 proposed a plan that was all remote learning for at least the first quarter of the year. The school board was split (voted 3-3), which means a new plan needs to be brought to the board. The teachers responded by picketing outside the administration offices. They want remote learning.

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020...-remote-learning-when-school-resumes/awdpe9y/

I know many of those teachers in that district and none seem to be scared going on vacations or parties according to their Facebook pages.

 

[sporthog9er]

Every single bordering state of IL has committed to fall football