Unit 1 prepares for return to full day instruction

Coal City schools will return for full day instruction next week, marking the first time in 51 weeks that students will spend an entire day in the classroom.
“Our school district is very excited to welcome our students back to a full day of school,” Superintendent Dr. Kent Bugg stated in his weekly COVID update.
Since the start of the school year in mid-August, the district has provided a hybrid model that offers both in-person and remote learning, with students in class for four hours per day with an additional hour of remote learning at home.
District officials have been tracking all positive student and staff COVID-19 cases and close contacts since the first day of student attendance on Aug. 19, and while the district has seen its share of cases, there has been no evidence that the virus is being transmitted in school.
“Our school district now has over six months of data showing that our schools are safe places for students and staff,” Bugg said.
Discussions on extending the school day began in January and by the first of February it was announced the district was planning to resume full day instruction,. That day will be Thursday, March 11—the first day of the final quarter of the academic year.
Over the past two months the district’s transition committees have been working on revisions to the Return to School plan accounting for a full day of instruction.
The plan has been presented to the Board of Education and Citizens Advisory Committee for review and discussion, and the board is scheduled to approve the document as amended when it meets this evening [Wednesday, March 3].
The plan addressed two specific issues: How to continue accommodating full remote learners as mandated by the state and what classroom activities/teaching strategies can utilized in a full instructional day given mandated virus mitigations.
As of last week, 88.6% of the district’s entire student population was listed as in-person learners, a steady increase since the start of the semester when about 85% of students were in-person.
“We are always excited to have our students back with us for in-person learning,” Bugg said. At the same time, he understands and respects the individual decisions some families have made to stick with remote learning.
Remote learning will remain an option for families as long as the state recognizes it, but the superintendent said the experience will be altered and that includes the flexibility of moving in and out of remote learning.
Except in the case of a medical note, after March 11 the district reports students enrolled for in-person learning will be required to remain in-person for the remainder of the school year. Students who start as full remote learners can return to in-person learning at anytime, however once they return to the classroom they are required to stay until the end of the school year.
As for remote learners, the plan addresses student engagement based on grade level, and provides a path for those at risk of falling behind.
Overall, Bugg reports a majority of remote learners have been engaged with their teachers and classwork. However, a small number of middle and high schoolers have been disengaged in the process and are falling behind.
He said there will be a significant change to remote learning for those students and the plan outlines processes to support students at risk of failing, and for some credit recovery.
As for the majority of remote learners not much will change on March 11 outside of the requirement of being available for synchronous learning throughout the school day.
Students still will need face coverings, social distancing, temperature checks and self-certification, capacity limits and increased cleaning and disinfecting. The district must exclude any student who tests positive or has been in close contact with someone who has contracted COVID.
The district has also taken into consideration student activity times, and lunch hours that comply with current social distancing and room capacity limits.
The district will continue to provide free lunch to students through the end of the school year. Students who choose not to take advantage of this program, may bring their own lunch. The district does note, its cafeterias will only be offering a main entree during this time.
Another change that comes with full day instruction is the conclusion of free afternoon daycare service, however the district has maintained its partnership with Step by Step Daycare to provide after school programing at fee.
The amended plan was drafted by the district’s transition teams—building level and district-wide—with input from educators and staff.
The plan as presented has been streamlined and reduced from 43 to 14 pages.
The document no longer includes internal administrative procedures or building specific information that will be shared by principals.
A draft of the plan was posted to the district’s website—coalcityschools.org—late last week for public inspection, as well as building level start and dismissal times.
Students attending the early childhood center will report from 7:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., elementary and high school from 8:10 a.m. to 3 p.m., intermediate school 8 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. and middle school from 8:20 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. The doors at each school building will open 15 minutes prior to the start of classes.
As the district prepares to return to a full day schedule, the superintendent said local COVID data, “continues to show tremendous promise for the future.”
The county’s test positivity rate is down to around 5% and as of Feb. 26, the district had no reported student cases for the prior 10 days, and the daily average of student and staff quarantined last week was down significantly from the prior week.
“Much of our success has been due to our staff’s diligence and our parents/guardians assistance with implementing these COVID mitigations,” Bugg said.