Edwardsville School District 7 Superintendent Dr. Henderson Spells Out Plans For 2020-2021

District 7 Families,

Thank you for providing feedback in our most recent remote learning and reopening survey. Edwardsville School District 7 is developing a Return to School Plan that will give a complete overview of all aspects of what the environment will look like within the buildings for the 2020-21 school year. This plan has been developed based upon your feedback as parents, collaboration with staff, and consistent, on-going communication with the Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Department of Public Health, Madison County Health Department, and local health experts.

While there are still details yet to be finalized, the purpose of this letter is to provide families with a snapshot of what to expect when school reopens this fall so that you can feel more comfortable registering students online beginning on July 9, 2020.

District 7’s Return to School Plan will include the incorporation of guidelines from the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Department of Health, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Please remember that guidelines could possibly change as more information and data becomes available about the spread of COVID 19.

The bullets below represent what is currently in the guidelines.

All staff and students will be required to wear face masks while inside the schools and on buses. We will continue to monitor guidelines on whether face shields will be allowable.

Visitors to the schools will be extremely limited. All visitors will be required to wear face masks while inside the schools.

All staff and students will be required to have a health screening or self certification of health upon entering buildings. District 7 is developing procedures to attempt to streamline this process.

Classrooms at all levels will be organized to space students apart to the greatest extent possible while retaining educational function. It is not possible to have students six feet apart at all times, however, items have been removed to allow for additional spacing of desks and tables where feasible.

Classrooms will be cleaned and disinfected daily. Emphasis will be placed on high touch surfaces and common areas. Restrooms, cafeterias, and other common areas will be cleaned multiple times throughout the day.

Students will be limited to groups of 50 in any one area including buses.

Additional hand sanitizing stations will be located in multiple locations in every school.
Students will be encouraged to bring water bottles and water bottle filling stations will be available at every school.

Daily in-person learning will begin August 13, 2020, for all grades (Pre-k through 12th grade). Although schedules will be compacted as noted below, students will return to school for in-person learning every day if our area remains in Phase 4 of the Illinois Reopening Plan.

Families will also have the option to have their students receive instruction remotely. Any family that chooses to enroll in the all virtual “remote” learning option must commit to remote learning for the entire first semester.

Families will be allowed to change from remote to in-person learning at the end of first semester. For a family to enroll in the all virtual learning option, they will need to have an internet capable device with the capacity to participate in video-conferencing (camera and microphone) and complete assignments during the school day. Families that choose remote learning for their students will still need to complete the online registration process.

Families will have until July 17th to enroll in virtual remote learning for the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year.

Please note that some high school courses may not be able to be taught virtually. For more details on high school classes that will be available remotely and to view a snapshot of the District’s remote learning plan for the 2020-2021 school year at the elementary, middle, and high school levels please click here.

The in-person academic day will be shortened in an effort to better socially distance our students while in the schools. Listed below is a snapshot of the school hours, arrival/dismissal times, and activities that will occur during the 2020-21 school year. We recognize that a shortened schedule is not ideal; however, we believe that prioritizing daily, in-person instruction is the best option for our students in light of the current circumstances instead of an every other day schedule***.

Teachers will continue to work their normal work hours and will be providing additional support for in-person and remote instruction at the end of the school day.

***In case schools are mandated by ISBE to lower class sizes so that each student can remain six feet apart within classrooms at all times, District 7 will develop a blended remote learning option where groups of students attend every other day.

Edwardsville High School will begin at 7:20 A.M. and end at 11:50 A.M.

Students will attend six academic classes every day for 40 minutes each.

Students will be able to purchase breakfast upon arrival to school.

Students will be able to purchase a boxed lunch to take with them at the end of the school day.

Students will be permitted to stay after school to participate in tutoring with a teacher, small group instruction, athletics, or other extra-curricular activities. Students who stay after school will be able to eat lunch at school and maintain social distance.

Teachers will be available during designated scheduled times in the afternoon to work with small groups of students in-person or remotely.
Students who would have been bussed to the Nelson campus for instruction will stay at EHS for the entire academic day.

Seniors (12th grade students) will have the option to enroll in only courses required for graduation and will not be required to carry a full schedule. Seniors that choose this option will have all of their classes consecutively and will be expected to leave campus upon completion of their classes each day. Any senior interested in enrolling in required classes only should email their guidance counselor for more information.
Liberty and Lincoln Middle Schools will begin at 8:00 A.M. and end at 12:40 P.M.

Students will attend five academic classes every day for 45-50 minutes each.

Students will be able to purchase breakfast upon arrival to school.

Students will be organized into consistent cohorts of students and teachers will travel to each classroom rather than the students moving between hours.

A staggered dismissal time will be implemented for parent pick up and buses. Students being picked up by parents will be able to purchase a boxed lunch to take with them and will be dismissed at 12:20 PM. Students riding bus transportation will be able to eat lunch in their 5th hour classroom beginning at 12:20 PM and will load buses at 12:40 PM.

Students will be permitted to stay after school to participate in tutoring with a teacher, small group instruction, music ensemble groups, athletics, or other extra-curricular activities.

Teachers will be available during designated scheduled times in the afternoon to work with small groups or students in-person or remotely.
All elementary schools will begin at 9:15 AM and end at 2:30 PM.

Kid Zone services will be available from 6:30 AM. until the school day begins and from the end of the school day until 5:30 PM.
Students will be able to purchase breakfast upon arrival to school.
Elementary students will eat lunch at school. Lunch will be organized to allow students to maintain social distance using cafeterias, gymnasiums, and outdoor spaces.
Elementary students will continue to have recess in smaller, consistent groupings.
All music ensemble groups and the Challenge Program will be suspended for the 2020-21 school year.

A staggered dismissal time will be implemented at the elementary school level. Parents may pick up their students beginning at 2:15 PM.

The District’s Preschool for All program and Early Childhood classrooms will meet utilizing the following schedule:AM Session: 9:15 AM - 11:15 AM
PM Session: 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM

The District’s Preschool Academy program will receive a separate communication for all enrolled families with further details.

For information specifically related to students with IEPs, please click here.
We are aware that there are many questions regarding the details of reopening school that are not covered in this email. District 7’s detailed reopening plan will be completed before school begins and will cover all aspects of the school environment. In the meantime, the District will create a Frequently Asked Questions page to begin answering recurring questions that arise. Please email questions regarding school reopening to info@ecusd7.org. The FAQ page will be updated a minimum of once a week beginning the week of July 13th. Reopening updates will be sent to families in the coming weeks via the info@ecusd7.org email address.

Thank you for your patience and support as we prepare for the 2020-2021 school year.

Respectfully,

Dr. Jason Henderson

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