Prairie Grove School District 46 looks to expand in-person learning after spring break

Prairie Grove School District 46 is eyeing an expansion of in-person learning sometime after its spring break.

Superintendent John Bute, though, told the Northwest Herald a lot of planning behind the scenes and logistical aspects to be worked through first.

Currently, students at District 46 have been attending school in-person in the morning and learning remotely in the afternoons. After spring break, though, the district hopes to allow students to stay in-person for the afternoon as well, or at least extend the time they spend in-person each day.

COVID-19 metrics District 46 has been tracking, in conjunction with the McHenry County Department of Health, are trending in the correct direction for a return to in-person learning, Bute said.

A lot of district staff has been vaccinated, he said, with many of them getting their second doses of the two-dose injection Friday. District 46 staff, as part of phase 1b, received their first shots in February.

The weather also helps, Bute said.

“It’s getting closer to the springtime,” Bute said. “[With] better weather, we can be outside more.”

District 46 will continue following the safety guidelines that have been laid out by the state and local health departments, as well as the Illinois State Board of Education, he added.

Earlier this week, the Illinois State Board of Education issued new guidance for in-person schooling that defines social distance as 3 to 6 feet for students and fully vaccinated staff. This new guidance also directs schools to return to in-person learning “as soon as practicable in every Illinois community.”

“We’re working through what that would look like,” Bute said. “I don’t believe we’re going to need to go to 3 foot to bring students back in. But certainly, we can’t bring them all back in at 6 foot. We’ve been pretty adamant about that. There’s just not enough space.”

All of the potential mitigations measures, including hand-washing stations and extra cleaning, will be put in place, Bute said. The district hired additional cleaning staff this year, so there will be more cleaning of all the high touch areas and restrooms. And everyone’s wearing masks.

An official announcement about the changes to District 46′s learning model will be made the week before spring break. District 46′s spring break runs March 29 through April 2.

Having kids able to be back in the building for longer will be a “wonderful feeling,” Bute said. Even though, so far, students have only been in-person for half the school day, Bute said it’s still been great having them back.

“You can’t see their smiles behind their mask, but you can see the smiles in their eyes,” Bute said. “The vast majority of them are thrilled to be back and have that contact with their teachers, their classmates and their friends. It’s been a good experience so far.”