Unit 5 released the Return to School plan for the 2020-2021 school year Monday afternoon which will be voted on during the July 22 School Board meeting at Normal West. 

An email sent to Unit 5 families included the Return to School plan and video explaining the available schooling options to ensure a safe learning environment for all students and staff. The video, released by incoming Superintendent Dr. Weikle and Director of Communications and Community Relations Dayna Brown, outlined the options that will be available to families, while the Return to School Guide included in-depth information regarding the procedures that will be taken in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The message also included the results of a survey sent to Unit 5 parents prior to the decision. The most popular preference amongst the 6,044 families who responded to the survey was to resume in-person learning in some format. Options such as in-person learning with a shortened day, a blended option, and full remote instruction were discussed.

At the high school level, Unit 5families have two options: attending class in-person two days a week with a blended learning day and using the other two days to engage in self-paced work or five days of virtual instruction.

Due to the number of students in each high school, to reduce the number of physically present at one time for in-person learning students whose last names begin with the letters A-K will attend in-person Mondays and Thursdays, while students whose last names begin with the letters L-Z will attend in-person Tuesdays and Fridays. Wednesdays will be a remote learning day for both groups.

The Board of Education noted that all plans are tentative and that they will continue to follow advice from health officials and make changes if necessary.

The chart below illustrates the options that are available to families for the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year based on student grade level.