Sycamore parents call for full week of in-person school: ‘You cannot continue to deny these students what they need’

SYCAMORE – When Cherie Hiland’s fifth grade son was in the third grade, he received “The Most Enthusiastic Award,” because, Hiland explained, “when he’s interested in something it’s hard to stop him.” Hiland said that her son has never struggled academically and loves playing with his friends and jumping on his trampoline.

However, since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Hiland said that she has seen “a huge change” in her son.

“To say we’ve had serious discussions about depression is an understatement,” Hiland said, holding back tears. “I no longer see the enthusiasm about things he is learning in school. We do our best to provide opportunities for socializing, but these days, the only regular interaction he gets with friends is on video games. Unfortunately, I know we’re not alone.”

Hiland was one of the dozen parents that attended and spoke during the Sycamore School District 427 Board of Education meeting held Tuesday evening at Sycamore High School.

The parents were concerned about statements Superintendent Steve Wilder made during the last school board meeting on Jan. 27 that a return to five-day or full-time schooling would likely be coupled with the COVID-19 vaccine becoming available to students, though it’s currently not approved for those 16 and under.

Dawn Marshall, mother of two Southeast Elementary School students and creator of the Facebook group District 427 Parents for In-person Learning, which has more than 475 members, addressed the board members during the meeting. She asked them to “start brain storming ways to make it work.”

“Those of us in attendance tonight are just a small representation of parents of students in the Sycamore School District that desire a five day, in-person learning to be offered as an option to our families,” Dawn Marshall said. “We are very concerned about the district’s lack of plan.”

Carolyn Trotz, whose daughter attends third grade at North Grove Elementary School, toured a private school earlier this school year because that school had in-person learning five days a week.

“I came home, I talked to my daughter, and she said, “Mom, you can’t take me from my school, my teachers, my friends,’ so we stuck it out,” Trotz said. “You’ve made the first step at getting these students back to in-person learning, but you cannot stop there. Let’s increase the length of the school day back to the regular hours. You cannot continue to deny these students what they need for their academic, social and emotional needs.”

Wilder said that “the most obvious way” for students to return to in-person learning full-time is by receiving vaccinations, but student COVID-19 vaccination is “unlikely to be required at this time” and is “not the only option to return to in-person learning.”

Board Member Eric Jones discussed reducing six feet of social distancing to three feet, because “the six feet is a recommendation, not a requirement.” Jones referenced the World Health Organization’s recommendation of 1 meter, or 3.28 feet, in comparison to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Illinois Department of Public Health’s recommendation of 6 feet.

Wilder said he asked the DeKalb County Health Department about the 6 feet of social distancing, and he was told that the CDC “hasn’t ruled out a 10-foot social distancing guideline.”

During the meeting, Wilder also mentioned that at the beginning of the semester, there were 900 failing grades at Sycamore High School.

“That’s not 900 students, but a total of 900 Fs when you look at the entire student population,” he said.

Most of those grades were able to move up with extra tutoring, Wilder said, leaving 210 Fs. After conversations with high school staff, Wilder said they decided to change the Fs to Unsatisfactory, or Us on their report card and transcripts. The difference between a U grade and an F is that a U will not affect a student’s GPA, it will only not give them credit for the course, he said. Students will still be required to earn a minimum number of credits to graduate from high school.

At Sycamore Middle School, there were 320 Fs during the first quarter and 363 during the second quarter.

“I don’t like those numbers, … but we’re dealing with some challenging circumstances,” Wilder said.

Wilder also stated that all of the staff that chose to be vaccinated have received their first dose, with many already starting to receive notifications to schedule their second dose. Wilder mentioned scheduling vaccinations has been a challenge, because teachers work during the day.

“Unfortunately, one of the issues is that if we want staff to get vaccinated, we have to give them time to be able to do that,” he said. “The other issue is that side effects with the second dose are much more likely than they were with the first one. A small group got vaccinated last Friday, and over half would not have been able to report to work the next day. So we’re anticipating, based on that, and also feedback from the health department, that we will need to plan for a larger group of our staff unable to return to work after they get that second dose.”

To accommodate the remaining staff receiving their second dose, there will be a remote day next Thursday, Feb. 18, Wilder said. The following day, Friday, Feb. 19, was already scheduled for a remote day. Having two days without in-person teaching will help teachers and staff access the vaccine and recover from any side effects they may experience, he said.

The next Sycamore School District 427 Board of Education meeting will be held 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23.