Sycamore superintendent, staff layout learning plan for D-427 amid uncertain re-entry date

SYCAMORE - Kathy Countryman and her administrative team laid out in detail what remote learning looks like for Sycamore District 427 in a school board meeting on Tuesday.

In fact, Kris Webster, director of learning and teaching for the district, said they really don't want to call it e-learning anymore. She said a more apt name is 'emergency remote learning.'

"The difference in e-learning, online learning, all those things is that they are planned," Webster said. "It's planned and signed up for. This is not that. This is something we had to do quickly due to the situation we are in. Maybe it's not something everyone would have signed up for."

The board also voted on three action items from the closed executive session. They unanimously approved resolutions regarding dismissal of full-time education support personnel, dismissal of the part-time educational support personnel, and a personnel report with employment, leave of absences and retirements.

Although they became public once approved, David Olson, manager of community engagement, said relevant documents regarding the dismissals would not be posted until Wednesday. Countryman could not be reached for comment.

Countryman stressed that while the location of classes have changed, the philosophy of the district has not.

"The best thing we can do right now is provide continuity," Countryman said. "I want to remind us our mission statement is to empower all learners to succeed in their own world. That has extra meaning now."

Countryman also said talk of a re-entry plan has begun this week, though it's in its early stages and tricky to map out with the level of uncertainty still regarding the termination of the stay-at-home order. She did not elaborate on the re-entry plan details.

Countryman referenced a seminar she recently attended where the general e-learning process was referred to as a sprint when it first started and now has morphed more into a marathon.

Gov. JB Pritzker issued an order which closed schools effective March 16, and since has been extended through the remainder of April. Neighboring states of Missouri and Indiana have already closed schools for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year, though Illinois has not made a final decision yet.

Webster detailed how the emergency remote learning was going for students throughout the district, including elementary school students. High schoolers have Chromebooks assigned to them at the start of the year, and the district was able to round up enough computers from schools that were not in use to provide to each middle school student.

But elementary school learning has been a mix of low and high tech, she said. They are utilizing online choice boards that parents can access even on a cell phone, with activities to complete. Students can also sign up to do their learning by mail, receiving a packet every week.

Olson said 1/6th of the elementary school students in the district have utilized that.

At the middle school level, Webster said more students have been picking up Chromebooks as the stay-at-home order continues.

"Even if they have a computer, you can have up to five or even more people sharing it," Webster said. "You can have a computer and internet access and it's still tricky. It's in hot demand."

Countryman also said that there have been some discussions, including with a senate of students, about how to hold a graduation-like ceremony this year. But the uncertainty makes any planning difficult, though she plans to continue discussion on that matter at the next D-427 board meeting April 28.

She said it was important to honor the class of 2020.

"We want to make sure to (celebrate them) in a safe manner, but we have not forgotten them," Countryman said. "They're really going to have a story, man."