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Some very hard lessons are being learned in District 186

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Illinois

Springfield School District 186 will offer to families two plans–hybrid/blended in-person and remote learning only–as part of its 33-page “Return to Learn” document. […]

“The plan is doable,” [Superintendent Jennifer Gill ] said. “As a parent and as a mom, if my kids were in school, I would send mine because I would never want to vote for something that I also didn’t have my kids participating in.”

* August 3rd…

Gill and other school superintendents have been meeting with members of the local medical community, including a lengthy meeting Saturday. She said nine of the 11 medical members recommended that schools start the academic year with remote learning.

“My heart goes to both conversations,” Gill said of the choices.

“It will not work,” said board member Micah Miller about the hybrid/blended plan. “If we were truly listening to the Sangamon County Department of Public Health’s guidance, we would have listened on July 23 when they said this was unprecedented and extremely dangerous and our focus needs to shift to our younger population in social settings.

“We’re not listening to anybody in this. We’ve become a hot spot in Sangamon County.”

* August 5th…

The head of the Springfield Education Association said he doesn’t think School District 186 has put into place a complete plan “for the safe return of students and staff.”

* August 9th…

Gill said that because of the lower number of students, bus capacity shouldn’t be a problem. The “Return to Learn” plan allows for 50 students on a bus.

* August 13th…

The District 186 school board voted to start the school year with fully remote learning.

This is a change of course after a vote just 10 days ago to start with both hybrid and remote learning this fall.

At their emergency meeting on Thursday, Aug. 13, school board members voted 5-2 in favor of fully remote learning.

* Also August 13th…

Springfield Superintendent Jennifer Gill said a rising positivity rate of COVID-19 tests in the county is one reason for the decision. The positivity rate was 6.2% for last week, according to numbers tracked by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

“Although we have a strong plan in place to offer the hybrid model for those families who wish to return, we must also consider the impact that this might likely have on our community spread,” Gill said.

She also worried that having students and teachers attend in-person, be screened for COVID-19 symptoms and possibly need to get tested might “drain” testing resources in the county.

* Today…

District 186 Superintendent Jennifer Gill learned she was COVID-positive on Wednesday night, according to a statement. Gill and family were tested after having “mild coughs.” Gill worked from home on Wednesday, and last worked at the administrative office on Tuesday.

On Monday, Gill and other board members convened in-person for the school board meeting. Meetings had previously been conducted via Zoom over past months.

After all that, why did they convene an in-person meeting?

Ugh.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Aug 20, 20 @ 12:27 pm

Comments

//After all that, why did they convene an in-person meeting?//

They just don’t get it.

Comment by dan l Thursday, Aug 20, 20 @ 12:38 pm
Catholic Schools in springfield started in-person this week. Waiting for cases to explode here.

Comment by No One Thursday, Aug 20, 20 @ 12:39 pm
“Hard lessons? How so? A mild cough isn’t a death sentence. (queue the covidcoward outrage.)”

Wait. So anyone that takes the pandemic seriously and follows appropriate guidance is a “covidcoward”? That is some dangerous machismo you’ve got going on.

Comment by Montrose Thursday, Aug 20, 20 @ 12:39 pm
Our Western burb school did the same thing. Hybrid then reversed course to the remote. The part that is tone-deaf is the hiring of more administration. Adding a principal now is a bit odd. They have 10 other schools and assistants to cover. The backlash on remote is very real.

Comment by Fighter of Foo Thursday, Aug 20, 20 @ 12:42 pm
“….queue the covidcoward outrage.”

Get out there “Sammich” Breathe the fresh air at the bar on Friday night and at Church on Sundays. Masks are overrated.

Comment by Gedge787 Thursday, Aug 20, 20 @ 12:42 pm
I will not be voting for Ms. Gill or any board member who supported in-person learning. They valued politics and a desire for normalcy over the advice of medical professionals and the health and safety of the community.

Comment by Reality Thursday, Aug 20, 20 @ 12:43 pm
The Superintendent is not elected.

Comment by Lt Guv Thursday, Aug 20, 20 @ 12:48 pm
@Reality. No one votes for the Superintendent, and you can only vote for 1 board member. Sups are hired by the school board. I’m a 186 parent. I supported the hybrid model in July. When trend lines proved otherwise, I’m glad they switched to online only. Just because you change your mind while listening to data trends now makes you a terrible administrator?

Comment by Steve Rogers Thursday, Aug 20, 20 @ 12:52 pm
A small local school system made the decision this week to start school remotely at the end of the month instead of working a hybrid model as they’d previously planned. I’m so glad. The decision didn’t arise out of an instinct for safety, though. It was made after the superintendent laid out the costs for safe in-person opening and the total came to about a million bucks more they’d have to come up with.

Comment by yinn Thursday, Aug 20, 20 @ 12:55 pm
=== Just because you change your mind while listening to data trends now makes you a terrible administrator? ===

The data trend has not changed since June. They were not listening to the data trend, they were ignoring the data trend until they reached the endpoint, hoping for something to change.

A smarter approach would have been to announce in Mid July they were going full remote unless the trend changed, and out the burden on parents, community members, restaurant and bar owners to bend the curve.

In Gill’s defense, most school districts in the state have been doing this backward, and ISBE has been leading this foolhardy parade.

Comment by Thomas Paine Thursday, Aug 20, 20 @ 1:16 pm
From what I understand, Gill was concerned about in-person schooling but supported it because the numbers in Sangamon county were way down and the positivity rate was minuscule when we were in phase 3. She changed her stance on that as soon as the numbers started to rise. I think she’s done a wonderful job handling this despite some loud and obnoxious objections on the school board to remote learning. I hope she and her family recover soon.

Comment by IDOL hands Thursday, Aug 20, 20 @ 1:17 pm
- The Superintendent is not elected -

Nor does she have a vote on the Board.

I think Reality needs a check.

Comment by Lurker Thursday, Aug 20, 20 @ 1:47 pm
To Montrose,
COVID-19 is a much worse than a mild cough. You don’t appear to understand how serious this virus is. Kids can get COVID-19 and die from it. I understand that is not common, but what if the child who gets it and dies is yours?

Comment by Mama Thursday, Aug 20, 20 @ 1:58 pm
===After all that, why did they convene an in-person meeting? ===

The science requirement is to graduate high school, not to serve on the board.

Comment by Candy Dogood Thursday, Aug 20, 20 @ 2:25 pm
=what if the child who gets it and dies is yours=

School based spread, even if a child brings COVID to school, is not likely if proper mitigation procedures are in place. That would be masks 3-6 feet distancing, proper sanitation. The risks (and control issues) are higher in large schools, so I do understand that. Small schools…not so much.

Comment by JS Mill Thursday, Aug 20, 20 @ 2:52 pm
Kids on our block were playing together without masks all summer. Don’t see how school with masks and social distancing is much more risky.

U of I type testing may tip the balance. We should know in a month if that works.

Comment by Last Bull Moose Thursday, Aug 20, 20 @ 3:39 pm
=School based spread, even if a child brings COVID to school, is not likely if proper mitigation procedures are in place. That would be masks 3-6 feet distancing, proper sanitation.=

That is partially true and only if those rules are properly and consistently adhered to and schools that have already opened show, not surprisingly, that those are not being followed. Teens frequently don’t follow social distancing, mask wearing is often careless, and if you have read the Yale and other studies you will know that many of the most popular masks range from largely ineffective to some being worse than no mask at all because of the way they create a finer, further reaching aerosol spray. The 6 foot rule of thumb is just that and in the poorly ventilated buildings typical of much of the infrastructure in Illinois a much greater distance is needed. COVID spreads in medical facilities that are far more capable of following protocol than an under-staffed and under-trained school environment.

There is so much yet unknown about COVID and its long term effects that caution rather than a foolish rush to have in person school is the better choice.

Comment by former southerner Thursday, Aug 20, 20 @ 4:19 pm
I don’t envy being a supt or a school board member. They’re all just trying to decide what’s the least worst bad decision. I’m giving most all of them grace as they navigate this, except the Hutsonvilles. Spfld has a lot of its kids in Catholic schools that are starting up five days a week. They’re running ads, recruiting new families. The mayor hosted an FB Live Education round table last week that basically sounded like an ad for the private schools. (I agree as stated above that that’s probably not going to end well.) But no one is in an easy position here.

Comment by Jessica Thursday, Aug 20, 20 @ 4:45 pm
Riverton lasted 3 days with hybrid learning. Covid positive. So now remote learning. This will be a trend.

Comment by thoughts matter Thursday, Aug 20, 20 @ 9:52 pm