Waukegan District 60 officials preparing e-learning plan for days when school buildings can't be opened

Chicago Tribune

17 hours ago

Used only three times in the last three years when severe winter weather made it unsafe to open the buildings, Waukegan Community Unit School District 60's new e-learning plan is going through the necessary steps to ready it for the 2025-2026 school year and beyond.
Since the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) allows remote schooling as an alternative to closing schools in heavy snow or subzero temperatures, Amanda Milewski, District 60's associate superintendent for strategy and accountability. said it is now the preferred method.
'There are no more snow days,' Milewski said in response to a question about the onetime practice of closing school due to a snowstorm. 'Snow days are now e-Learning days. We only use them in inclement weather. It means we don't have to extend the school year because of a snow day.'
The District 60 Board of Education conducted a public hearing on its proposed e-Learning Plan on Tuesday at the Education Service Center in Waukegan to use remote schooling when weather forces the buildings to be closed.
Among the elements of the plan, Milewski said teachers must engage students for at least five hours, exclusive of an hour offline for lunch. Attendance is taken by teachers remotely. If a student cannot attend due to illness, parents must contact the school so that it is an excused absence.
'It must be accessible for all students,' Milewski said. It ensures the specific needs of all students are met, including special education students and English learners. It must ensure all mandates are still met using the e-Learning program.
Before the program is put into effect, the district needs to make sure all students have access from home or another appropriate place, including computers, access to the internet, and any other form of electronic communication needed. Students have a school-issued electronic device.
Should the weather dictate an e-Learning day, Milewski said texts and emails will be sent and phone calls made as soon as the decision is rendered. Parents can get a copy of the lesson their child will be taught.
If internet access is an issue for a particular student, assignments can be completed upon return to school with full credit, according to information contained on the district's website.
Board member Christine Lensing said she has concerns about the timing of an announcement of an e-learning day. With middle school starting shortly after 7 a.m., she does not want students to arrive at a shuttered building. Milewski said it will be as early as possible.
Aside from having an e-Learning plan in place for the last three years, rather than using snow days, District 60 teachers, staff and administrators oversaw more than a year of remote education during the coronavirus pandemic.
Deputy Superintendent for Academic Supports and Programs Eduardo Cesario said everyone learned remote education together during the pandemic. Problems were discovered and changes were made.
'It was a work in progress,' Cesario said. 'We made corrections along the way. We have learned a lot in the last five years.'
Board member Carolina Fabian asked about the plan in the event a teacher was unable to connect to the internet to instruct the class. Milewski said there are a number of safeguards in place, just as there are during a regular school day.
'There's always a backup plan in place,' Milewski said. 'A paraprofessional will (also) be there. There are always people ready to step in.'
With the public hearing complete, the Board of Education will vote whether or not to approve the plan at 7 p.m. Aug. 26 at the Education Service Center in Waukegan. It will be effective from Sept. 1 through June 30, 2028.