The Carmi-White County Community Unit School District (CUSD) No. 5 is currently reviewing the Illinois State Board of Education’s (ISBE) new guidelines related to plans for the new school year amid COVID-19.
“This 60-page document has been much anticipated and will go a long way toward answering critical questions all of us share about what the 2020-21 school year will look like,” Carmi-White County CUSD No. 5 Superintendent Brad Lee said in a post on the district’s website. “Right now, we don't have all the answers to those questions as this document was released to the school districts at the same time it was released to the public. Therefore, we kindly ask for your patience as our staff thoroughly reviews this detailed guidance and implements the suggestions into our district's own transition plan.”
The Carmi Times reports that the district’s administrative team has previously been meeting to discuss various scenarios including remote learning, modified on-campus learning and a combination of both at-home and on-campus learning.
“We are keenly aware of the urgent need to communicate to families about what to expect next school year and anticipate releasing our own transition plan in the near future,” Lee said in the post. “I'm confident our district can put forth a plan that prioritizes the health and safety of our students while maintaining a dynamic learning environment.”
ISBE developed the guidelines for transitioning to in-person instruction with help of the Illinois Department of Public Health, according to the document posted on the ISBE website. Among the topics covered are social distancing, personal protective equipment, hand hygiene, cleaning and disinfecting, illness and diagnoses monitoring, student transportation, scheduling and addressing learning loss.
The first day of the 2020-21 school year for students of Carmi-White County CUSD No. 5 is Aug. 17, according to the Carmi Times.
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