Dear District 90 Families, Faculty, and Staff,
We have completed the second day of our E-Learning week. Please accept my deepest appreciation for your support and efforts on behalf of our students.
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), under direction from Gov. Pritzker, has indicated that the days of mandatory school closing from March 17-30, 2020 will be considered Act of God (AOG) days. They will not be designated as Emergency Days, which typically occur during days of inclement weather. With Emergency Days, school districts are normally required to make up the missed instructional days at the end of the school year. Act of God days are not made up at the end of the school year.
In the case of AOG days, schools are not mandated to monitor student attendance, and student work completed during school closures must not negatively impact a student’s grade or academic standing. District 90 has chosen to continue monitoring student attendance during this closure (as evidenced by E-Learning participation) because our teachers are better able to support students when they are aware of the learning experiences that students have completed. Teachers will also be logging student completion of assignments and activities and providing guiding feedback to students. However, traditional grades will not be issued to students during established AOG days, as per Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) guidance.
Please recall that students who currently receive or are eligible for Free and Reduced-Price Lunch (FRPL) will be able to continue receiving these meals. Daily, weekday pickup for pre-packaged lunch will be at the Administration Building (7776 W. Lake Street) between the hours of 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. until Friday, March 20, and again on Monday, March 30. Only students who have been approved for FRPL will be provided with the meal.
As we continue with this week of E-Learning, please remember that Spring Break in D90 starts on Monday, March 23, and ends on Friday, March 27. E-Learning will not occur during Spring Break, and schools will be closed. Further, we understand that there are many questions concerning when District 90 schools will reopen. Based upon the school closure directive by Gov. Pritzker and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), Monday, March 30 will be an E-Learning day. Students and staff members are currently scheduled to return to school on Tuesday, March 31. However, the uncertainty of the situation is high. Please be assured that we will keep you informed about the reopening of schools as expeditiously as possible.
During this time, we understand that families may need additional ideas about keeping students engaged in learning activities that are fun and recreational, in addition to E-Learning assignments. We will begin including some ideas for you to consider in our forthcoming communications. For now, please take a look at these websites that are designed to provide high interest and engaging activities for students:
- Top Ten Virtual Museum Tours
- Bill Nye the Science Guy
- Free Online Games for Kids by Commonsense Media
District 90 will continue to provide our families, staff members, and partners with regular updates throughout the E-Learning week, and as the school situation evolves. Please continue to visit the District website (district90.org) and monitor your email and voice mail for messages from the District.
Thank you for your ongoing partnership.
Respectfully,
Ed Condon, Ph.D.
Superintendent