Fall 2020

The guidelines for transportation deem each bus a “space” with a capacity of 50 people. This will allow us to transport all students who are expected to ride the bus this year with few modifications.

• Siblings will be seated together on the bus.
• We will be adding an adult rider for morning routes so that the driver can focus on driving. The additional rider will be responsible for temperature checks and logging the students in as symptom free each day.
• All adults and children on the bus will be required to wear masks.
• Temperature checks will need to be performed prior to students boarding buses.
• Buses will be thoroughly cleaned after each route including seats and door handles.
• There will be a temperature check for non-bus riders. A change to entry procedures will be as follows:
  
  • ALL middle school bus riders will enter through the atrium entrance
  • ALL elementary school bus riders will enter through the north entrance
  • ALL non-riders will enter through the main entrance where they will be temperature checked and logged.

The guidelines for all spaces recommend social distancing whenever possible. In all single grade classrooms, this is achievable and even in combined elementary classrooms. In middle school, we believe it would be advantageous to hold combined classes in the atrium rather than in regular classrooms.

• The middle school classes are combined for 5/6 Language Arts, 5/6 Science, 7/8 Language Arts, and 7/8 Social Studies. These classes will be held in the atrium. In addition, to limit movement throughout the building, each middle school grade level will have a homeroom that the teacher comes to for instruction rather than the students moving (with the exception of the combined classes).
• Grades K-1, 3/4, 5/6, and 7/8 are combined for art class and 2/3/4 is combined for computer class. These classes will take place in one of the larger spaces with students using Chromebooks as opposed to the desktop computers in the lab.
• Band and choir will be held on the stage. The current guidelines for singing require that students wear masks. We are going to see if there are any changes to this, but we plan for the choir, as well as the general music, to proceed as usual.
• We intend to use the outdoors as a learning space to the greatest extent possible, knowing that there are limitations and potential distractions, not to mention the presence of strong winds much of the time.

As of now, the mask requirement for staff and students is a non-negotiable situation for attendance. We understand how charged an issue this is for some parents, guardians, staff members, and students. We are taking the following into consideration:

• Our school district liability only covers us if we follow the IDPH guidelines. Masks are part of the official Illinois Department of Public Health requirement for reopening schools.
• We will be providing masks, at least 2 per day for students. Students will be permitted to bring their own masks to school.
• Masks are not required outside.
• We will build “mask breaks” into the day so that students are not wearing masks the entire time they are at school. Masks may also be removed to eat, as well as for band.
• We are planning for a shorter school day to minimize the amount of time staff and students are wearing masks continuously. More on that later in the plan.
• Cleaning and Sanitizing
  
  • We are preparing for a dramatic increase in the need for cleaning and sanitizing classrooms and common spaces such as hallways, bathrooms, the gym, and library.
  • Every classroom will be equipped with hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes.
  • Our custodian now works full time, allowing him to address the ongoing need for sanitization throughout the school day.
  • The CDC recommends posting signs and messages in highly visible locations that reinforce safety precautions and promote everyday protective measures such as proper handwashing and appropriate face coverings. These will be posted throughout the building and will help us reinforce our expectations with students and visitors.
  • Bathroom breaks will require increased coordination between teachers, administration, and custodial staff. 
  • Movement between classrooms will be coordinated by teachers so that only one class of students is moving through the hallways at a given time.

There is nothing in the ISBE guidance regarding meal service that we feel is unmanageable at Eswood. The following adjustments will need to be made:

• Additional tables will need to be added either on the gym floor or on the stage to accommodate 6-foot social distancing of students.
• There can be no second helpings.
• Dining tables and seats will need to be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized between meal service sessions, and this will be built into the daily schedule. Whereas in the past, the lunch periods were consecutive, there will now be a half hour in between lunch periods.
• All condiments, sauces, milk, etc. will have to be distributed by a staff member.

We hope that with all everything, we are able to put in place to create a safe and engaging learning environment that all Eswood families will choose in-person instruction. For those families who have health or other concerns, we would work with those families on a Remote Learning plan. If there are a substantial number of families who opt for Remote Learning, we would definitely need to shorten our in-person instructional day so that teachers would have time in their schedule to work with those students who have opted for the Remote option.

We intend to work with all of our families and keep a constant line of communication open in order to share information, field concerns, and have an ongoing dialogue about how best to navigate this challenging situation.

As was noted in the Transportation section, we will institute a system of temperature and wellness checks for all staff and students to ensure the safest possible environment. Currently known symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, fatigue, muscle and body aches, headache, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, congestion or runny nose, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. This is not an exhaustive list so we will certainly be conscientious when considering whether or not a staff member or student should be sent home.

5a.

Finally, according to the guidance, “The State Superintendent has determined that days of instruction during a public health emergency must include at least 5 clock hours.” In accordance with this guidance and in order to adjust to the challenges of maintaining consistent use of face coverings and social distancing in school, we are initially starting the school year with a 5 hour school day, 8:30 am - 1:30 pm. In addition to providing an adjustment period, this will also allow teachers to work with students who opt for a remote setting based on health concerns, provide teachers with contractual plan time, and allow for a thorough cleaning of the building.

The overarching goal with a return to in-person instruction is to create the most advantageous environment for learning. We all recognize the inherent challenges of Remote Learning and will be re-designing our Remote Learning plan to allow for unexpected closures and continuation of learning.

We know that each of our students will have had a unique Remote Learning experience this past spring based on a variety of factors, the majority of which were most certainly out of their control. Students will enter the 2020-21 school year with different levels of mastery of prior coursework than in previous school years, and the first days and weeks of school will consist of assessment and review to a greater extent than any previous school year. Once again, we believe that this is an area in which our size will give us a great advantage as we adapt to our students’ needs, both academically and emotionally.

In regards to grading practices, according to ISBE, “ISBE’s original recommendations for grading during remote learning considered the sudden, drastic, and unexpected impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on all districts and the necessity of beginning the suspension of in-person instruction with non-instructional Act of God Days.

Students and districts need every available flexibility regarding grading in order to navigate these uncharted waters without deepening existing inequities and without knowing when in-person instruction might resume. The recommendation that grading “do no harm” to students sought to accommodate the vastly different physical and mental,
 
economic, technological, and social-emotional experiences of Illinois’ 2 million students, most of whom were engaged in remote school day learning for the first time.”

We intend to return to our traditional grading practices, while at the same time, beginning to examine other ways in which we might effectively measure and report what students know and are able to do in relation to the content area standards.

Physical education activities will be assigned to students to complete outside of the
8:30-1:30 in-person school day and will count towards our 5 clock hours of instructional activities. There will be assignments and learning logs for all students.

Due to the 50 person limitation on spaces, we will have to conscientiously plan events such as the Meet & Greet scheduled for August 17th, sporting events, and concerts.

We are already making plans for the Meet & Greet to be scheduled by grade level so as to minimize the number of people in the building at any given time. Please remember that, based on the IDPH and ISBE guidelines, face coverings will need to be worn at all times in the school building.

We may also consider recording or live-streaming some events so that more people would be able to view them than could be in attendance, in order to comply with guidelines.

Prior to the stay at home order and school closure, Eswood School District had in place a pre-approved E-Learning Plan. The intent of this plan was to use E-Learning Days in lieu of making up snow days, and was never intended as a comprehensive plan for an extended closure. That is the major difference between E-Learning and Remote Learning. Consequently, Eswood School District must establish a comprehensive Remote Learning plan that mitigates the impact of an extended school closure.

To that end, utilizing CARES Act dollars, the school will be purchasing enough Chromebooks so that we will be a 1:1 learning environment, meaning one device for every child. We recognize that the younger students will require support and supervision.
 
to properly utilize these devices, and we intend to build that support into the early weeks of instruction.

In addition, we will be working with internet providers in the area to increase accessibility to and performance of high speed internet for families.

The revised Remote Learning plan will include synchronous (real-time, face to face) learning as well as asynchronous learning. It is important to the continuity of instruction to provide opportunities for direct teacher contact and teaching, while also giving students the opportunity to practice and develop skills and knowledge independently.

According to ISBE, “Only those individuals with close contact with someone who tested positive or who is suspected of having COVID-19 are required to self-quarantine for 14 days.” Given the size of our school community and the times that students may interact with others outside of their grade level on the bus, at lunch, or in a specials class such as music, computers, or art, we will err on the side of caution when requiring quarantine.

A positive case at any grade level may require Remote Learning for the whole school for 14 days given the potential for contact spreading. In accordance with The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), we will not be able to share any identifying information regarding an individual who tests positive.

• When a student presents with any symptoms, the health department will be notified to assess risk and begin work on contact tracing. The department can then make recommendations based on the information received. We will provide the health department with as much information about the student’s interactions at school while safeguarding as much of their privacy as possible. The student would be isolated immediately. Parents were notified of the situation and instructed to pick up their child.
• Students that test positive will be excluded from school and quarantined for 14 days from the test date and the school will be in direct communication with the health department. 

Finally, should a family member of a staff member or student test positive, we will communicate that information out, and give families choices regarding attendance.

• Choir -- At this point we are uncertain about the future of our choir program. The research suggests that singing in a group has the potential to spread the virus. The guidance calls for students to maintain the wearing of face coverings while singing, which many consider to be quite problematic.
• We are considering instituting a liability waiver/technology fee for Chromebooks in the event that they are checked out by individual students for extended periods of Remote Learning.
• Lockers for middle school will be assigned in the atrium in an effort to keep students at a distance from each other whenever possible. In the past, they have been grouped by grade level, but we intend to alternate grade level students by locker in order to create space.
• There will be health and safety training for staff prior to the start of school, and training for students in the early days of the school year.

We hope that all families will recognize the challenge of returning to school this year and that we will consistently do our best to prioritize health and safety, as well as a quality education for our students.

The following is a list of questions that community members may have regarding the plan, but it is by no means an exhaustive list. Parents who do have questions or concerns regarding the plan should contact Dr. Shapiro at their earliest convenience.

This is a big unknown for all educators and one of the primary reasons for the shorter day. We intend to implement a system of “mask breaks” throughout the school day for all staff and students.

This is an issue that has been talked about at great length in educational leadership circles. We prefer not to think of it as a discipline issue, but rather as asking students to take part in a community agreement. Regardless of our individual beliefs surrounding the effectiveness and necessity of masks during the pandemic, this is what is required of us in school at the current time. For students who struggle to comply with this expectation, we will do our best to come to an agreement that allows the child to stay in school and comply with the expectations.

As a small school, offering in-person and Remote Learning will be a challenge for us, but we are committed to offering both options. Our students are our students, whether they are with us in person or remotely, and they will be welcomed into the classroom whenever they or their parents feel comfortable doing so.

We intend to either record classroom instruction each day and upload it to our Google Sites or provide students with live, real-time access via Zoom. In addition, students who opt for remote learning will have access to their teachers each day after the in-person day has concluded.

The state guidelines that allow for a 5 hour day state that “instructional activities” should add up to 5 hours. In deciding how best to use the 4.5 hours of in-person instructional time (lunch will take up to 30 minutes), the Transition Team felt that
 
Physical education activities would be easier for families to manage at home than academic activities. Teachers will be providing specific guidance and activities for students and parents.

With students leaving at 1:30 and a compressed teaching schedule, teachers will spend the remaining 1.5 hours on:

• 30 minutes of planning time which is lost in the compressed day
• Meeting electronically with remote learning students (likely an office hour approach)
• Collaboration time to improve the teaching/learning process for both in-person and remote learners
• Professional Development time to support teachers with various facets of this new process and to prepare for a potential transition into all remote learning if Illinois returns to Phase 1-3 of the Re-Open Illinois plan.

If there is one thing we’ve learned throughout the past four months, it is that this is an ever-evolving and changing situation. Through the first weeks of school we will be monitoring students and staff in their adjustment to the new guidelines, as well as the needs (if any) of our Remote Learners. Should the Transition Team and Superintendent, in consultation with the Board of Education, determine that we have built the capacity to re-extend the school day, we will do so.

We are trying to take our cue from the Illinois High School Association on this. Their guidance is constantly changing. As of now, we are planning for the fall volleyball season, though this may have to take place with limited or no spectators.