Superintendent's Message

Dr. Teresa Hill

March 15, 2021

Dear South Holland School District 151 Families,

On Monday, March 8, 2021, the South Holland School District 151 Board of Education approved a Spring Reopening Plan for all of our schools. Beginning in April, Taft, Eisenhower, Madison, and Coolidge will offer In-Person Learning for all students 4 days per week. Please see below for an important update to the plan.

In-Person Learning or Remote Learning Option

All South Holland School District 151 families will be given the option to have their children return to In-Person Learning beginning on April 19, 2021 and continuing until the end of the school year on June 11, 2021. Based on the feedback from families and educators, we will update the days of the week for In-Person Learning. 

UPDATE: Students who return to In-Person Learning will attend school for full days on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. They will have Remote Learning Flex Days on Fridays. 

Students who chose to continue with Remote Learning will participate in Remote Learning on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Remote Learning Flex Days continue to take place on Fridays.

In-Person School Start and End Times                         

The starting and ending times for In-Person Learning are below.

Coolidge:          7:50 am – 2:26 pm – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday

                        7:50 am – 1:50 pm – Wednesday

Taft, Eisenhower and Madison:  8:15 am – 3:00 pm – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday

                              8:15 am – 2:30 pm – Wednesday

Flex Friday Start and End Times

Coolidge:          7:50 am – 2:26 pm – Friday (Students Log On as needed)

Taft, Eisenhower and Madison: 8:30 am – 2:30 pm (Students Log On as Scheduled by the School/Teacher)

At this time, we are asking all families to decide whether they will send their children to school for In-Person Learning or whether they will have their children continue to do Remote Learning until the end of the school year. Please click the survey link on the district website (www.shsd151.org/parents/ ) to let us know which option you will choose for your child. We are asking families to complete one survey for EACH of their children. Families are asked to commit to one (1) option for the remainder of the school year. Families who select to continue with Remote Learning will NOT be able to change that selection for the remainder of the school year.

COVID-19 Precautions

We will put in place numerous COVID-19 precautions to promote safety in our school buildings. All students and teachers will wear facemasks while they are at school, at bus stops, and on school buses. In addition, families will be asked to do daily symptom checks before students come to school each day. Students and teachers will wash their hands or use hand sanitizer multiple times during the day. We will also be frequently sanitizing and disinfecting our school buildings including classrooms, offices, frequently touched surfaces, and restrooms.

We will provide individual school supply bags for use at school for In-Person Learning. Students will be able to keep their current school supplies at home. When students are in classrooms, they will be seated at least 3 feet apart. We will provide desk shields for all student and teacher desks, and student desks and chairs will face the same direction.  Please note that we are not able to ensure 6 feet of social distancing in all classrooms. However, we will be following current Illinois Department of Public Health guidelines by providing 3 feet between students in classrooms and 6 feet between students in larger settings such as gyms and lunchrooms.

Students who come to school for In-Person Learning will participate in lunch and recess at school. Students will have lunch in the classroom or in the multipurpose room. When students are in the multipurpose room they will be socially distanced.  We will maximize the amount of time that students are outdoors for recess and Physical Education. 

Parents will select whether they would like their children to receive bus transportation if they are eligible. Students who ride the bus must wear facemasks on the bus and at bus stops. They will be assigned to bus seats and the bus capacity will be a maximum of 48 students.  (Additional buses will be provided if necessary.)

Attached is a copy of the presentation about our spring re-opening plan. This presentation includes additional details about our COVID-19 precautions and our In-Person Learning and Remote Learning options.  All families who choose to return for In-Person Learning will receive additional specific information about their children’s schedules and other safety precautions prior to the start of In-Person Learning on April 19, 2021.

Please note that all children who return for in person learning must have their complete school physical and immunizations on file with the school district. Families will be notified if they do not have current physical and immunization documents on file.

We look forward to the opportunity to have our students back in our school buildings. Please consider the best learning option for your children and complete the Spring Learning Option Survey on our website by Friday, March 19, 2021. 

If you have already submitted your Spring Learning Option Survey and you would like to change your selection, you may submit a new survey for each of your children.  The district will accept the last survey you submit by the deadline – Friday, March 19, 2021.

Sincerely,

Dr. Teresa Hill

Superintendent of Schools

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