Half-day attendance the leading plan so far for Ottawa Elementary

The Ottawa Elementary School Board laid out three plans Tuesday night to return to school.

As of right now, the board's lead plan is to conduct half days Monday through Friday, although Superintendent Cleve Threadgill said the official, final plans still are up in the air.

"This is not an easy topic at this time knowing that we have been given direction by the state board in late June and tasked with developing a re-entry plan that is supposed to encourage in-person learning," Threadgill said. "That's a pretty broad definition at this point and looking around the state, we have everything from strictly remote schools to schools going to full attendance."

Threadgill said the board came up with the plan as a best-case scenario after working with a committee of 27 representatives, discussing what is best for the district.

Students will be subject to having their temperature checked before getting on the bus and into the building.

The second half of each day will be done remotely through Google Meets.

"This is very fluid," Threadgill said. "There's a chance that changes are coming still and the reason they happen is because of what we're being told by guidelines and edicts, things we don't have any control over."

Threadgill said the other options are the hybrid A-day/B-day model similar to what Streator Elementary is using, or a full return to school, but the Monday through Friday half-day model still is their ideal.

"This is still all based upon the state's further intervention," Threadgill said. "Parents need to be prepared for any of these."

The board approved the measure, but not unanimously. Board Member Stephen Omolecki voted against the measure.

"Whatever option we choose, everyone needs to be involved and we need to keep everyone safe," Omolecki said. "I'm finding it difficult to support students all returning at the same time. I don't think we can have 15 to 25 students in a room. The health risk is not worth the perceived rewards of having all the students back at the same time."

Omolecki said places have already seen the negative consequences of reopening too fast.

"We should look at full remote learning or find a way to have even fewer students in the room," Omolecki said. "We can continue to monitor the situation and expand when we choose to do so. I don't feel we should determine the language [in the state's guidelines] as an endorsement of having all students being there."

Threadgill said more information will be sent out to parents either Wednesday or Thursday.