Woodstock Community Unit School District 200 Board of Education met September 29

By Angelica Saylo Pilo

Nov 17, 2020

Woodstock Community Unit School District 200 Board of Education met Sept. 29.

Here is the agenda provided by the board:

I - CALL TO ORDER

Mr. Gilmore, President, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and stated the following: The state of Illinois has altered provisions of the Open Meetings Act allowing Boards to conduct business via electronic means and enforce limits on gathering size in accordance with CDC guidelines in regard to the COVID-19 outbreak. The current meeting capacity is 50 people. Masks and social distancing are required to attend the meeting.

II - ROLL CALL

Present: Dr. Bidwell, Mr. Gilmore, Mr. Headley, Mr. Homuth, Mr. Parisi (via electronic means), and Dr. Moan, Superintendent.

Absent: Dr. Farris and Mr. Miceli

III - COMMUNICATIONS

Mr. Gilmore stated: "Communications" are a time for community members and District employees to express a point of view, not to debate an issue. There will be a sign-up sheet for the public to identify their name, address, phone number, name of the organization you represent (if any) and a brief description of the topic to be addressed. The public can submit public comments electronically to the Board of Education through the following email address: schoolboardpubliccomments@wcusd200.org. Written comments will be read aloud at the meeting. Comments are generally limited to 3 minutes (See Board Policy 2:230).

1. A former student attending the Board meeting addressed the Board with comments regarding her siblings’ experiences with the current remote learning plan and her support for returning to in-person instruction.

2. Dr. Moan and Assistant Superintendent Keely Krueger read comments submitted through the Board of Education public comment email address regarding the current remote learning plan and plans for returning to in-person instruction.

Mr. Gilmore thanked the public and audience members for sharing their comments with the Board.

IV - NEW BUSINESS

1. Approval of 2020-2021 Return to School Plan

This item was included on the agenda so the Board of Education could consider a revised return to school plan for the 2020-2021 school year.

At the September 22, 2020 Board of Education meeting, the Board approved utilizing the McHenry County Department of Health’s School Metrics for guidance when making changes to recommended learning models (Virtual, Hybrid, In-Person).

Dr. Moan reviewed the updated District plan for returning to in-person instruction. He explained that families will have the option of their students either continuing fully remote instruction or attending in-person learning on a revised “A” Day and “B” Day schedule. Dr. Moan detailed the new “A” and “B” day schedule which will offer students consistency in scheduling and allow them to keep the same teacher. In addition, students will have increased daily live interaction with their teachers, and asynchronous and synchronous time will be the same. Also, since in-person instruction will only be held in the morning, District custodial staff will have more time to clean and sanitize buildings before students return the following day. Dr. Moan added that the morning in-person learning schedule also addresses the needs of our food insecure families by offering meals at school.

During Board discussion, Dr. Moan explained that if the return to school plan is approved tonight, a survey will go out to parents on Wednesday to gather current information regarding which families plan on their students attending in-person learning, which families would like to continue remote learning, and which families will be utilizing transportation. Dr. Moan added that busing exclusion guidelines have been updated by the McHenry County Department of Health and will allow the District to better meet the requirements for transporting students to and from school while meeting state guidelines.

Mr. Headley asked that the District look at staffing levels when determining whether or not to return to in-person learning, Mr. Homuth asked that the District reassess the plan at winter break and Mr. Parisi asked that all this information be communicated clearly to parents.

Mr. Gilmore voiced concerns regarding the McHenry County Department of Health supplying the District with clear trends to determine a change in learning model, and added the plan should not be enacted if the metrics are not recommending in-person learning. Board members agreed that transparency by the McHenry County Department of Health is integral to the implementation of the return to school plan.

IV - NEW BUSINESS (Con’t)

1. Approval of 2020-2021 Return to School Plan (Con’t)

Dr. Bidwell and Mr. Headley asked to move forward with the plan, and change the schedule for planning and parent notification purposes, even if the metrics do not allow for a return to in-person learning at this time.

Dr. Moan added that he will keep the Board updated on the development of the McHenry County Department of Health’s Metrics dashboard. MOTION - Moved by Dr. Bidwell and seconded by Mr. Headley to approve the hybrid plan and new schedule for implementation on October 19, 2020 with the caveat that the McHenry County Department of Health has available an active and accurate publicly accessible dashboard and the McHenry County Department of Health’s School Metrics are met, with roll call vote as follows:

Dr. Bidwell - Yes

Mr. Headley - Yes

Mr. Parisi - Yes

Mr. Homuth - Yes

Mr. Gilmore - Yes

V - ADJOURNMENT

MOTION – Moved by Mr. Homuth and seconded by Mr. Headley to adjourn

the meeting at 8:22 p.m., with roll call vote as follows:

Mr. Homuth - Yes

Mr. Headley - Yes

Dr. Bidwell - Yes

Mr. Parisi - Yes