On January 5, 2021, District 99 will start the second semester by following a new hybrid learning schedule. The changes outlined below are based greatly on the feedback provided by students, families, teachers and staff. A detailed presentation to the Board of Education on Monday, December 14 at 6:30 p.m. that will explain all of these changes and the rationale behind them. You can watch a livestream at www.youtube.com/csd99media.
Schedule Changes
The schedule will include the option to return to in-person learning for four days per week, if safe to return.
Click here to see Second Semester Schedule
NOTE:
- Every Monday will continue to be a remote-only, late-start day. There will be no other “remote only” weeks planned. We will have two Remote Learning Planning days for staff on February 1 and March 22; students will not attend classes on these days.
- Students will attend school in-person mornings two days a week and in-person afternoons two days a week. Students choosing the In-Person learning model are expected to attend each day for all of their academic courses unless there is a legitimate reason for an absence.
- Passing periods will be reduced to accommodate morning and afternoon transportation times.
- One Monday per month, third period will be extended to allow for special activities and lessons.
This schedule will remain in effect through March 26, 2021.
Remote or In-Person Selection
Your student will automatically be enrolled as in-person or remote based on your most recent selection. If you are not certain of your current selection (remote or hybrid), visit Home Access Center and click the "registration" button at the top of the page. The second section of the registration page will show your current status.
If you would like to change your selection, this form must be completed by the student while logged in with their district-issued email address by 5 p.m. on Friday, December 18. Students who enroll in Fully Remote Learning are committing to that model through spring break.
Also, we are continuing the practice of not requiring students to remain on campus for their lunch period or study halls; however, if students would like to remain in school, they can stay in the cafeteria. If students would like to remain in the building during these scheduled times (and not leave early or arrive late), please complete this form using the student-issued email address.
Safety Metrics
Another change for the second semester is that we are adjusting how we determine whether it is safe to return to learning in person in 2021. Just as the world has learned more about the virus and made modifications in response, we, too, have learned and are adapting our approach. We will follow the CDC’s recommended indicators and apply them to District 99 community-specific metrics to determine whether it is safe to return to school in person. We will use the metrics available on this dashboard, using our community zip codes (60440, 60515, 60516, 60517, 60523, 60532, 60559 and 60561). In order to return to school in person, the combined positivity rate must be below 9% OR there must be fewer than 125 cases per 100,000 based on the 14-day rolling average.
In addition, we must be able to:
- Follow all safety protocols
- Be able to ensure there are no outbreaks at school
- Have adequate staff and students available
- Be able to follow up on student/staff illness and close contacts in a 24-hour period while following all exclusionary protocols
We will determine the schedule for the week every Monday based on the prior week’s metrics for our community. We will send you an email by 4 p.m. and also post the decision to the District and school websites at www.csd99.org/2020-21.
Other Programs
Our ability to offer smaller groups (including T99, driver education, activities and athletics) is less restrictive. The positivity rate must be below 12% OR there must be fewer than 200 cases per 100,000 based on a 14-day rolling average, and we are not in Tier 3 Mitigation. Athletics and some activities may be impacted by decisions made by IHSA and other outside entities.
TCD, Work Programs, SASED, Partners, and outplaced students will continue to attend based on the programming at that location, unless we learn that location is not following safety protocols. Connections and Access programs may continue as long as we are in Phase 4.