D-205 Reveals When In-Person Learning Will Return

ELMHURST, IL — Elmhurst School District 205 decided Tuesday when students can return to school for more days of in-person education.

In a 5-2 vote, the school board voted for the superintendent's in-person learning plan as presented.

Here's are the basics for elementary, middle and high school students:

• Elementary: Under the plan, kindergarteners and first-graders will return next Tuesday for five days a week, followed by second-graders Feb. 22 and third to fifth graders March 1. The school day would be 8:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
• Middle: As for the district's three middle schools, no target date for five-day-a-week, in-person education was included in the plan. Like most schools, Churchville's students are divided into two groups. However, students at Bryan and Sandburg are in three groups, meaning less in-person education. The target date to reduce the three groups to two is March 15. Bryan and Sandburg, officials say, have had issues with social distancing because of space. Students will be required to maintain 6-foot social distancing from teachers "to the greatest extent possible." Officials said during the board meeting that five-day-a-week, in-person learning may happen this semester at Churchville, but no date was included in the plan.
• York High School: The target date for four-day-a-week in-person education is March 15. The school day would be 7:40 a.m. to 12:55 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesday would continue as an eight-period remote day. The district aims for 3-foot social distancing between students.

For elementary and middle schoolers, the district will aim to achieve 3-foot of social distancing between students and 6-foot social distancing between teachers and students "to the greatest extent possible," according to the plan. For high school students, the district said students will maintain 6 feet of social distancing with teachers, with no qualifier such as "to the greatest extent possible."

With the reduction in social distancing, more quarantines are likely, resulting in lost in-person learning time, according to the district's plan. Depending on developments, double masking may be required for in-person attendance, the district said.

The district also said plexiglass barriers would be provided for teachers' work stations.

Voting for the plan were board members Jim Collins, Margaret Harrell, Karen Stuefen, Kara Caforio and Beth Hosler. Against it were Chris Kocinski and Courtenae Trautmann.

The video of the board's meeting on YouTube has no sound. The district said it experienced technical difficulties and was unable to livestream the meeting. However, the Zoom video was posted afterward on the district's communication's department's YouTube channel

The district did not divulge its plan until the meeting, posting it to its website Wednesday morning.

Elmhurst's plan to return to in-person learning is quicker than that of at least one area other school system — District 181 in Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills. That district's board decided Monday to return to full in-person learning on April 5. District 181, though, has offered in-person learning throughout the school year, while Elmhurst was mostly remote for much of the last semester.