Batavia Students Must Opt For Remote, In-Person Classes This Week

BATAVIA, IL — Batavia parents are quickly running out of time to choose how their school-aged children will learn during the fall semester. Students and families in Batavia Public School District 101 have until Sunday to opt for remote or in-person learning as schools prepare to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic.

District officials said they are requiring parents to decide by Sunday which format of learning they want their children to follow "so that we have enough time to rearrange student and staff schedules to maximize student preferences and learning opportunities."

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"Our plans are in constant revision due to many factors — including State requirements, family choices, and staff/community feedback," reads a message from district officials. "Accordingly, we must make our decisions based upon the best information that we have available now, knowing that many details will be determined later."

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All BPS students who attend in-person classes will be required to wear a mask at all times inside school facilities, with limited medical exemptions, according to the district's reopening plan. Officials said they will not reduce class sizes, but social distancing will also be practiced “as much as possible.”

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Students who choose remote learning will not be able to participate in athletics or extracurricular activities, according to the district.

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BPS officials said they are not offering a hybrid schedule where students spend some time at home and some in the classroom based on guidance from the Illinois State Board of Education. The ISBE’s guidance states hybrid learning “will likely increase the rate of infection and the demand for center-based and non-relative care” for school-aged children, increasing their potential exposure to the coronavirus.

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If a student at one of the district’s schools tests positive, they will be asked to self-quarantine for two weeks, along with anyone with whom they were in close contact. State mandates require parents to certify each day that their children are free of coronavirus-related symptoms before sending them to school.

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