CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The state’s second largest school district has one eye on remote learning in the short term, and one eye on in-person learning in the not-too-distant future.
On the advice of public health officials, Elgin District U-46 plans to move to fully remote learning Monday through Dec. 4
Just last week, more than 4,000 pre-kindergarteners through second graders began a combo of in-person and remote learning. Specialized classes had been in-person for about a month. Third- through sixth-graders were supposed to move to a hybrid schedule on Dec. 1.
The Kane County Health Department notified U-46 leaders on Monday that the district must take an "adaptive pause."
"They believe we will be okay continuing with our current plans for this week, then strictly offering distance learning for all students effective Nov. 23," Superintendent Tony Sanders told the school board Monday. "That means that no in-person instruction or extracurricular activities will occur during that time period. Grades three through six that were supposed to start back on (Dec. 1) will remain in distance learning until the adaptive pause is concluded. Teaching assignments for grades three through six will remain the same for now. However, we are proceeding forward with professional development for those teachers this Thursday and Friday as we had planned to do so."
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But, Supt. Sanders said contact tracing has shown school buildings have not been the source the spread of CoVID-19.
"The cases we continue to monitor and track generate from our community. They generate from Halloween gatherings. They will generate from Thanksgiving gatherings if people are not careful," he said.
He said his team continues to work on plans for middle and high schoolers to add at least two days a week of in-person learning as they start the second semester.
Supt. Sanders said Kane County superintendents will meet with health officials on Nov. 30 and Dec. 2 to review COVID-19 case numbers and get further guidance before considering extending the pause on in-person learning.