District Announcements

John Jobe
Dear D80 Family:
 
District 80 Board of Education, administration, and members of the executive board of the teachers' association met to discuss their commitment to and partnership in providing the safest and highest quality educational experience for our students.  After reviewing the current data and how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted D80 schools, the board has decided to remain in Remote eLearning until January 19, 2021.  
 
The Board of Education also agreed to use the metric of 8% Positivity as an indicator metric for returning to the Hybrid Model or pivoting to Remote eLearning.  Please use this Northwestern.edu COVID Dashboard to monitor the positivity rate for our zip code 60706:  http://covid-dashboard.fsm.northwestern.edu/
 
How will using the 8% Positivity Metric Work?
 
If we are operating under the Hybrid Model in-person and the 7 Day rolling positivity metric rises to above 8%,  we will plan to shift to Remote eLearning.  Administration will determine the timing of the start of the shift, but the Remote eLearning will last for at least two weeks.  If we are operating in Remote eLearning and the new cases are dropping, the daily positivity is dropping, and then the 7 Day rolling positivity goes down to below 8% and looks to continue going down, we will plan to return to the Hybrid Model in-person.  Again, administration will determine the best day for the start of the return.  
 
The D80 Board of Education Members, together with the administration and the teachers, made this decision with the sincere commitment to the safety of all in the school community while striving to return to in-person learning as soon as possible.
 
For the weeks of November 30 through December 17, all students will learn remotely.  December 18 is a Remote Learning Planning Day for teachers, so students do not attend that day.  Remote classes will resume after Winter Break on January 4.  
 
We hope that you and your family had a safe and relaxing Thanksgiving.  
Please look for more information from your child's principal in regard to their learning needs.  
 
Sincerely,
Stephanie Palmer
Superintendent/Principal
Norridge School District 80
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John Jobe

Dear Giles Parents/Guardians:

The District 80 Board of Education is committed to offering in-person education for our students, and decided last Thursday that D80 would return to in-person learning this week.  Unfortunately, the District now has too many staffing issues to operate our buildings; staff and teachers are testing positive, others are out due to quarantine, and some are out for other legitimate reasons.  We also have too many students who have come to school when they were sick, and when someone in their household was sick.  Now we have several families who have notified us that a parent has tested positive, the student was sick, but the student had been at school this week.  Our partnership with our community is not working to keep COVID out of our school at a time when the positivity rates in the community are so high.

Therefore, STARTING TOMORROW, November 12, Giles School to 100% Remote eLearning.  Leigh School will have one more in-person day tomorrow. On Friday, November 13, D80 will have a Remote Learning Planning Day: there will be no school for any students on Friday.  

Monday we start one week of 100% Remote eLearning at both Giles and Leigh, followed by Thanksgiving Week off.  We then will have a week of 100% Remote eLearning November 30-December 4.

Our next scheduled return to in-person learning will be December 7th.  There is no indication at this time that COVID has spread at Giles or at Leigh, but we can no longer maintain our Hybrid Model.  We urge you to watch your students for any signs of illness.  We have many families that are testing positive and many students who are quarantining due to close contact.  

The D80 Board of Education will be closely monitoring the situation, and we will continue to communicate our district data each Friday.  Thank you for your continued support.  May you stay safe.

Sincerely,

Stephanie Palmer

Superintendent/Principal
Norridge School District 80

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