Following a unanimous decision from Unit 5’s school board Wednesday night, the plan is for schools to reopen for in-person learning this fall, with the option for students to learn from home.
But amid criticism from educators, district administrators say the “plan” is more like a roadmap: a good place to start but subject to change.
Several board members said they felt more comfortable voting for the plan knowing it contains a provision granting Unit 5 Superintendent Kristen Weikle the ability to adjust it without the need for board approval.
All 12 of the educators, parents and students who spoke during Wednesday's board meeting urged the district to start classes online this fall. (The current plan calls for elementary students to be in school every day, while in-person junior high and high schoolers would only be in school two days per week.)
Second grade Benjamin School teacher Michelle Kraft said the plan isn't realistic, particularly for elementary school children.
“The World Health Organization tells us to avoid the three c’s: crowded areas, close contact, and confined spaces; my Benjamin room contains all of those,” she said. “This is where the children will spend 6 hours a day.”
Second grade Grove Elementary teacher Sherilyn Klendworth said while she’s aware that children learn best in a school setting, the safety measures outlined in the plan create an unhealthy learning environment.
“We will bring back desks and chairs, put kids in rows facing forward all day. The children don’t get to leave the classroom during the day, except to eat lunch for 30 minutes.” That means no library visits, recess, art class or PE, she said.
Weikle said she understands trying to conduct class with masks and social distancing is not ideal.
“For many of our students it would still be better than possibly being home alone, left to their own devices to engage in learning or not,” she said.
Weikle said the district is primarily following Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) guidance by including in-person learning in the plan.
It’s ISBE that also requires the district to ensure every student and staff member can be certified symptom-free before coming to school, she said.
Rather than require staff to conduct temperature checks at the door, the district plans to use an app to allow parents to certify their children’s health.
George Van Winkle said that’s risky knowing that parents sent sick children to school before COVID-19.
Weikle acknowledged the need to develop a standard for addressing false certifications. She said the district is in the process of hiring additional school nurses so that no staff member is forced into the role.
Several speakers on Wednesday asked why the district doesn’t just start with remote learning if the plan acknowledges that Unit 5 will likely have to close schools again during flu season.
Weickle said that caveat is included in the plan to give parents who prefer the in-person option a heads-up that they should start developing a backup plan now.
She said the decision to close schools would be largely informed by weekly metrics published by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
The district may be forced to reopen remotely anyway if there aren’t enough staff willing to return in person in the fall. Both parents and staff have until Wednesday to choose between in-person and online teaching/learning.
Aditi Sharma, an incoming senior at Normal Community High School, said she sees the choice between in-person and online learning as a choice between safety and academic rigor.
“The online course options are extremely limited; in fact in my case not a single class I registered for was included,” she said, adding she’s taken AP and honors classes throughout high school to help prepare for college.
Weikle said administrators are looking into whether streaming those advanced classes via webcam would violate any privacy policies.
The start of school is delayed until Aug. 24.
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