Reopening Plans Vary Among 6 New Trier Feeder School Districts

NEW TRIER TOWNSHIP, IL — Parents and guardians of students at the elementary school districts that feed into New Trier High School must soon decide whether they want their children to take part in a return to in-person instruction amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Most of the six districts have already begun surveying families on preferences for next month's unprecedented start to the school year as districts draw up plans for multiple contingencies in response to a changing public health environment.

With deadlines looming for scheduling decisions, administrators in Sunset Ridge District 29, Glencoe School District 35, Winnetka School District 36, Avoca School District 37 and Wilmette School District 39 continue to discuss evolving educational plans for the 2020-21 year with local school boards.

New Trier is among the only high school districts in the north suburbs where board members have approved a plan to start the year with a mix of on-campus and remote learning, a model that has been dubbed the "hybrid." The model aims to limit potential spread of the virus by dividing students into two or more groups and staggering schedules — often with either two full days or five half days a week in person. Some elementary schools districts in the township are also considering a fully in-person model with limited hours in school buildings.

Find a summary of the status of each district's reopening plan below.

Sunset Ridge School District 29

Following surveys that indicated 91 percent of parents and 83 percent of district staff preferred an in-person start to the school year, and between 10 and 15 percent of parents and staff would not be comfortable with a return to school buildings, administrators presented a draft plan for gradually ramping up in-person instruction to a full day without providing a parallel remote program to the board earlier this month.

At the July 21 meeting, the board president recognized the desire of some families for a fully remote option and said members of its return-to-school task force would explore how to create a workable program for families that opt out of in-person learning, according to a summary of the meeting. District 29 has another meeting of the task force scheduled for Thursday.

Glencoe School District 35

Parents have until 4 p.m. Wednesday to submit a request for fully remote learning in District 35. According to Superintendent Catherine Wang, Administrators plan to release a final reopening plan by Aug. 7.

The district has scheduled a July 30 special meeting. A closed-discussion session of matters related to collective bargaining and employment terms of certain district employees is the only item on the agenda.

Winnetka School District 36

Administrators plan to share plans for the school reopenings by Aug. 7 — whether the district decides to opt for in-person instruction with early dismissal for all students, or a hybrid of instruction at school and remote learning with students divided into morning and afternoon groups.

If there are classes or schools with 14-day quarantine closures, or if the state reverts to an earlier phase of the governor's Restore Illinois plan, students would switch to a fully remote plan. Final commitments for remote learning would not take place until a week after the plans are publicly released. A special meeting is scheduled for Thursday with a resolution to approve the district's reopening and remote learning plan on the agenda.

Avoca School District 37

Administrators are set to provide final recommendations at a special meeting Thursday, but neither a copy of those recommendations nor the unidentified settlement agreement also on the agenda for action were provided to the public ahead of the meeting. Families wishing to opt for fully remote instruction will have until Aug. 10 to decide, according to a presentation from the previous board meeting.

Kenilworth School District 38

The Joseph Sears School plans to reopen for all students five days a week, between 8:10 a.m. and 1:10 p.m., with starting times staggered by last name. Kenilworth families have until Friday to choose between a return to in-person instruction with new pandemic protocols in place or fully remote learning.

Principal Stephanie Helfand said the district was on track to be able to safely open the building, but administrators may have to revert to a fully remote schedule depending on how the circumstances of the pandemic evolve after the school year begins on Aug. 24.

Wilmette School District 39

Administrators shared options for in-person, hybrid and remote learning for elementary and middle schoolers at a committee meeting July 20 and announced plans to release details of reopening plans and options for parents and guardians Friday. According to Superintendent Kari Cremascoli, the district's plans will allow it to pivot between different instructional models based on shifting needs or updates to public health guidance.