Alton School District Makes Decision To Have Remote-Only Instruction In First Quarter Of School Year

Aug 4, 2020 10:28 AM Aug 4, 2020 10:30 AM

Listen to the story

ALTON - In early July, the Alton School District shared a proposed plan to reopen schools on August 20 with in-person instruction, but at that time, also stated schools could be forced to a more restrictive plan even before the school year began due to COVID concerns in our region and/or state. The Alton School District has now made a decision to do remote-only instruction for the first quarter of the 2020-2021 school year to protect the health, safety and welfare of students and staff.

Get The Latest News!

Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.

"Over the past three weeks, we have continuously monitored Madison County’s COVID positivity rates, consulted with the Madison County Health Department, and gathered additional local data," Alton School Board President David Fritz and Alton Superintendent Kristie Baumgaurtner, said in a release. "The current information and trends for our region are deeply concerning."

Fritz and Baumgartner provided this recent information that led to this incredibly difficult decision:

- On Friday (7/31/20), Madison County set a single-day record for the highest number of positive cases to date.

- The City of Alton also had the highest number of positive cases in Madison County on Friday (7/31/20).

- The entire Metro-East region continues to demonstrate volatile and erratic positivity rates ranging from 5% up to a staggering 11% on a given day over the past two weeks.

Article continues after sponsor message

Limited spots available - advertise with us today!

- Rates among Madison County youth and young adults continue to steadily increase. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a study last week regarding a recent outbreak among youth stating children are more susceptible to the virus than originally suspected and play an unintended, but key role in exposure and transmission.

"It was our greatest intent and hope to provide in-person instruction for students at the start of the new school year," Fritz and Baumgartner said. "Extensive planning and preparations were made to place every necessary safety precaution in place for in-person instruction if our region demonstrated a significant reduction in COVID positivity rates. However, the positivity rates are not decreasing as wemove closer to the start of the school year. Rather, they are increasing and at an alarming rate. The planning, preparation and all of the safety supplies ordered for in-person instruction will likely still be needed, as will our other two plans (in-person and blended/hybrid), when wetransition back to in-person instruction later this year.

"The first day of remote instruction will be Monday, August 24. The previous first two days of school, August 20 and 21, will now be utilized for parent/teacher/student introductory conferences, remote planning, and device and supply distributions for students and families. Please know the decision to begin the first quarter with remote-only instruction is based solely on protecting the health and welfare of our children and staff members to the highest degree possible. With that said, we know this places an enormous hardship on many of our district families.

"While a large number of parents already selected remote-only instruction for their child(ren), many families were still planning for their child(ren) to attend school each day. We realize that childcare for working parents and support for students during remote instruction areof the utmost concern. Our teachers, staff and administrators are mindful of these valid concerns and are prepared to support students and families at the highest level possible. Remote instruction and learning will look much different than it did during the emergency closure of schools last spring. Students will engage in robust learning each day. Teachers and staff will still be at school each day during school hours.

"Per Illinois State Board of Education guidelines, teachers will provide at least 2.5 hours of synchronous (live) instruction for students each day as well as asynchronous (recorded) instruction and independent work. Attendance will also be taken each day and schools will return to their grading and assessment practices that were in place prior to the closure of schools last spring and making modifications where needed."

The Alton School District Remote Learning Plan on its website will provide additional information. The following pages also provide answers to what are some of the anticipated questions families may have as we transition to remote-only instruction and learning.

An email link at the end also provides parents with an opportunity to submit specific questions.

"In closing, please know that we understand the magnitude of this change and the impact it willhave on our students, staff and families," Fritz and Baumgartner said. "However, please always remember that the decision inmoving to remote-only instruction and learning for the first quarter was made to place the health, safety and welfare of our students and staff above all else. Thank you for your ongoing patience and understanding under these unprecedented and ever-changing circumstances."Chris Rhodes also contributed to this story.

Prefer RiverBender on Google