Schools
Rockford Public Schools Closed Till April 7
RPS 205 Employees will continue to be paid and receive their normal compensation and benefits through the closure.
March 20, 2020
Dear Parents, guardians and staff,
Find out what's happening in Rockfordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
We learned today about Gov. J.B. Pritzker's executive order that residents stay home to help slow the spread of COVID-19. He announced a tentative date for schools to reopen: Wednesday, April 8. RPS 205 Employees will continue to be paid and receive their normal compensation and benefits through the closure.
A closure like this is unprecedented, and we are following guidance from the Winnebago County Health Department, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Illinois Department of Public Health. Our administrators, principals, teachers and staff are committed to the health and safety of our students and families. We will continue to work with our community partners to provide meals and other support services despite the interruption. We're all in this together.
Find out what's happening in Rockfordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
We know the importance of teaching and learning, structure and social connection. Today we shared at-home learning resources with families. On Monday, we plan to share those resources in Spanish and Arabic. We are working with the Rockford Education Association to develop long-term distance learning plans; we'll share details in the coming days.
We haven't finalized plans yet for what this extended closure means for some other academic opportunities and key milestones like grades or graduation ceremonies. We will continue to work through those education plans and share information when it's finalized.
Thank you for your patience. This will be difficult, but I know we can work through it together and continue to put students first.
Sincerely, Dr. Ehren Jarrett Superintendent
Rockford Public Schools
This information will be shared in Karen and Swahili when available.
March 20, 2020 - 12:30 p.m.
Dear Parents/guardians and students,
Please check your Peachjar account for at-home learning resources to use through March 30 during our mandated school closure. If you haven’t signed up for Peachjar, our electronic flyer system, click on the orange “Peachjar” button on your school’s home page at rps205.com. You’ll find at-home learning resources broken down into four grade levels:
Our goal isn’t to introduce new concepts, collect assignments or to take grades. Instead, we want to reinforce lessons our students have already learned, provide enrichment and strengthen their social connection. We want our students to keep learning, exploring, being curious and reading. Please reach out to your building principal or your child’s teacher if you have questions.
I want to reiterate the fact that our staff is working with dozens of community partners to make the best of this closure for our students and their families. This will be difficult, but I know we can work through it together and continue to put students first.
Sincerely,
Dr. Ehren Jarrett Superintendent Rockford Public Schools
March 19, 2020
Our Nutrition Services team will provide meals to students from 9-9:45 a.m. Monday, March 23, through Monday, March 30. Meals will be available at four locations:
- East High School, 2929 Charles Street
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Flinn Middle School, 2525 Ohio Parkway
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Guilford High School, 5620 Spring Creek Road
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Kennedy Middle School, 520 Pierpont Avenue
Here’s what else you need to know:
- Prepackaged breakfast and lunch will be provided.
- All children, ages 2-18, can receive prepackaged meals.
- We hope most families will use our drive-through service, but a walk-up option will also be available at East, Flinn and Kennedy.
Follow this link for a list of resources for families from the Family & Community Engagement team during the COVID-19 school closure. This list will be updated frequently. We’re working with several community partners to ensure all areas of the city have resources for meals.
March 16, 2020
Spring Break for Rockford Public Schools runs through Friday, March 20. All RPS 205 locations – including schools – will remain closed through March 30. This closure includes the Welcome Center, Families in Transition (FIT) office and Early Childhood Screening & Placement office at the Administration Building. As of today, RPS 205 is scheduled to reopen on Tuesday, March 31, based on orders from Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
We'll share updates in the coming days as more information is finalized. Please check the RPS 205 website, Peachjar, Facebook and Twitter for the latest information.
I want to reiterate the fact that our staff is working with dozens of community partners to make the best of this closure for our students and their families. This will be difficult, but I know we can work through it together and continue to put students first.
Sincerely,
Dr. Ehren Jarrett Superintendent Rockford Public Schools
Breakfast and lunch plans: Our Nutrition Services team will provide students meals – both breakfast and lunch – Monday through Friday starting Monday, March 23. All children, ages 2-18, can receive a prepackaged meal, whether they attend RPS 205 or not. We'll share specific information about pick-up locations and times in the coming days.
Cleaning preparations: Over break, our custodial staff is deep cleaning and disinfecting all surfaces in schools, including desks, chairs, doorknobs, handrails and light switches. Classrooms, locker rooms and other areas around our schools are being sprayed and treated with a disinfectant. School buses – including seats – are also being disinfected.
Distance or digital learning: Administrators and staff have been compiling a list of resources for families in case of extended time away from school. This list includes some resources that involve technology, and some that don't. We'll share more information – including those resources – through our usual communication channels in the coming days. Our goal is to continue enrichment and at-home learning when Spring Break ends.
Missed days: The Illinois State Board of Education has announced that missed days because of COVID-19 preparation and response are considered "Act of God Days" and will not be made up at the end of the school year. The last day of school is Wednesday, June 3.
Student attendance: When classes resume, any absences related to COVID-19 – such as a positive case or cautionary quarantine – will be excused. The Illinois State Board of Education has advised absences will not count toward truancy.
Third quarter grades: The end of the third quarter for middle and high school students is March 27. At this time, it's too early to determine how end-of-quarter work will be affected by the closure. We'll share more information when it's available.
Upcoming state tests: We're working closely with the Illinois State Board of Education to get the latest guidance. So far, plans have not been announced regarding spring standardized tests.
Special education services: So far, plans have not been announced from the Illinois State Board of Education regarding special education students plans, including Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings. We'll share more information when it's available.
Spring athletic and extracurricular activities: All athletic events, practices and extracurricular activities have been postponed until Tuesday, March 31, to align with Gov. Pritzker's statewide school closure.
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) has canceled the remainder of the winter seasons, and the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) has also canceled the remainder of the winter seasons.
We'll continue to update this page as information becomes available. If you have a question that has not been addressed, please use Let's Talk! to submit your question or concern.
This press release was produced by Rockford Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.