Public schools have started to share fall schedules and plans with their families. Local elementary schools are taking different paths for in-person learning with 40 – 100% learning in school buildings. Some schools will offer 5-day per week in person learning for high priority students including students with special needs (IEPs) and the youngest.
Overall public school news:
- School hours will be 5 hours and 30 minutes this school year versus 6 hours and 20 minutes in the past. The teachers union and the chancellor have decided on that to accommodate planning time for teachers
- Children’s temperature will be checked daily at arrival, staggered arrivals are planned for all grades
- Lunch will be served in the classroom and will be “instructional” which means there will be games and readings while students eat
- The school year is supposed to run from September 10th, 2020 to June 25th, 2021. No detailed school calendar has been published yet
- School ventilation action teams are in school buildings with ventilation experts and professional engineers to inspect every classroom in every school building. Results of these inspections will be available 9/1. Rooms that do not meet the requirements, will not be used as classrooms. Also, 10,000 portable air filters for nurse and isolation rooms have been purchased by the DOE.
- Opting into blended learning is possible in November (Quarter 2), on February 1st (Quarter 3) and April 19 (Quarter 4)
Different schools in District 13, 15 and beyond have worked out different schedules for in-person versus remote learning for their students.
School A has decided to offer 50% of in-school instruction for all students in all grades who choose blended learning. Students are split into two groups, group A and B. The groups attend school 2 days in week 1 and 3 days in week 2. The same teacher teaches both groups and class size will be 9 to 12 students on each given day. On their remote learning days they get tasks assigned to complete on their own and are not expected to interact with their teacher live. The school does not offer 100% in-person learning for children of essential workers or children with special needs. Students who choose virtual-only learning get assigned a dedicated, separate classroom teacher and receive daily live instruction online. The after school program will be all virtual.
School B will create 4 different pods for Kindergarten to 5th Grade- POD A with 40% in-person learning two days a week, POD B with 40% in-person learning two days a week, POD C priority students 100% in-person learning and POD D with remote-only learning. The days for POD A and B in the blended learning model do not change, they are always the same weekdays either Tuesday and Wednesday or Thursday and Friday. There is live instruction available during the 3 days at home. Priority students in POD C are kids of essential workers, students with disabilities (IEPs), students living in temporary housing, English Language Learners and chronically absent students. Each POD – A, B, C and D – has their own teacher. Pre-K students will learn either 5 days in-person or 5 days fully remote depending on the family’s choice. Students who choose virtual-only learning get assigned a dedicated, separate classroom teacher and receive daily live instruction online. The after school program has not been finalized yet.
School C has been approved to offer the following learning model: Cohort A (Monday and Tuesday) and Cohort B (Thursday and Friday) receive in-person learning on two consistent days per week plus a third day of in-person learning on alternating Wednesdays. Cohort C: full-time in-person, an option (not a requirement) for families of children with special needs (IEPs). Cohort D: remote every day; consists of students who opt out of in-person instruction.
