School District 21 Fall Reopening Plan

July 10, 2020

Topic: Student Learning

The below message was sent to CCSD21 families through ParentSquare, the district’s notification tool. Parents that did not receive this message should send an email to [email protected] to ensure their contact information is up to date.

July 10, 2020

CCSD21 families,

With the State of Illinois having entered into Phase 4 of the COVID-19 Recovery Plan, the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Public Health issued Transition Joint Guidance to school districts for the 2020-2021 school year.  The CCSD21 COVID-19 Educational Impact Task Force has closely reviewed the guidance and recommends to the Board of Education the implementation of this reopening plan.

Plan highlights include:

  • First day of instruction for students in grades 1-8 is Thursday, August 20. First day of instruction for kindergarten and pre-k is Friday, August 21.
  • Full-time in-person instruction and full-time distance learning instruction will be offered. If families decide to enroll their child(ren) in full-time distance learning, they will need to complete the opt-in form linked below by 11:59 PM on August 2, 2020.
  • The middle school day will run from 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM. The elementary school day will remain 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM. Pre-kindergarten half-day programs will run five days per week; the AM session is from 9:00 – 11:30 AM, and the PM session is from 1:00 – 3:30 PM.
  • All parents or guardians will be asked to perform a daily certification of health for their child(ren) before sending them to school. Students showing any signs of illness may not attend school.
  • Face coverings are required to be worn by all students, staff, and visitors at all times while inside a school or on a bus.

To access the full reopening plan, an overview video, one-page plan summaries, and more, visit ccsd21.org/together.

Opt-in for full time distance learning
The needs of each family in CCSD21 are different. Families may not be comfortable with the idea of returning to in-person instruction without an available vaccine, or specific medical risks for students or members of their family may make a return to in-person schooling inappropriate. CCSD21 will offer a full-time distance learning program to any student during the 2020-2021 school year. The distance learning program will be a full school day program led by CCSD21 teachers. Instructional minutes and programming will mirror in-person instruction and will include a blend of live small group, video conference, and individualized instruction. Special Education and English learner services will be provided.

Families who select full-time distance learning will be enrolled for the first trimester (first 12 weeks) of the 2020-2021 school year, with an option later this fall to continue with distance learning or transition to in-person instruction. Families who wish to enroll their children in the distance learning program must complete the form linked below by 11:59 PM on Sunday August 2, 2020.

Opt-in for full time distance learning: English  |  Español  |  Polski  |  Русский

Families who do not opt in and submit a form by the deadline will automatically be enrolled for in-person instruction.

In-person learning
While it is our hope to maximize in-person learning to the greatest extent possible, transitions between in-person and periods of distance learning may be necessary. We will follow direction from state and local health officials and the Illinois State Board of Education in response to COVID-19 infection rates and/or our region’s status in the state’s recovery system, to make these transition determinations.

Our success as a school district will hinge on our ability and willingness to follow the science, be agile, flexible, and ready to deal with the unknown. It will be critical that we acknowledge and embrace that our coming year will be very different than those in our past.

This plan is presented with the best information and guidance known at this time. Adjustments will be made and communicated as guidance evolves from federal, state, and local health and education officials.

Please direct any questions or concerns to [email protected].

As always, thank you for your understanding and support.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael Connolly
Superintendent