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As we prepare to welcome students back in person following Spring Break, Thursday, March 11 and Friday, March 12 will be utilized as Remote Learning Planning Days. This means teachers and staff will work in our school buildings on these two days, but no instruction or assignments will be given to students on March 11 and 12.
Also, a reminder – when they do return in person starting March 22, all students are REQUIRED to wear a mask that properly covers their mouth and nose at all times in DPS buildings. Parents and guardians will also be required to certify their students are healthy on days they attend school in person – we’ll share more information on the wellness certification process very soon.
School Bell Times Starting March 22
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FEBRUARY 9, 2021, UPDATE ON RETURN TO IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION
As we announced in January, the DPS Board of Education requested the DPS administration redevelop the plan for a return to in-person instruction, to begin following Spring Break. This means DPS students will remain in virtual learning only through Friday, March 12, 2021, leading up to Spring Break on March 15-19, 2021.
The Board provided a series of parameters to redevelop the in-person learning plan:
- Significant input from district, parents, and community stakeholders
- As many days of in-person instruction as possible
- Robust virtual learning that is equal to in classroom instruction for families who choose to remain virtual
- Fully abide by orders that are in place from the Governor’s office, including social distancing, percentage of capacity per room, face masks, etc.
- More pathways for vaccination and possibility of antibody testing to help ease teacher/staff concerns
- How to safely bring students and staff back for extra-curricular activities as soon as possible.
- Consider a percentage of students in each building that must opt to return to in-person learning in order for the entire building to return
Below you will find a detailed outline of the Return to Learn plan for after Spring Break, as well as resources throughout this webpage to help answer questions you may have about that plan. These resources include a detailed Health and Safety Protocols guidebook, as well as a Frequently Asked Questions document that catalogues questions we've received from parents, staff, and community stakeholders throughout the planning process. This webpage will continue to be updated with information about the chosen instructional model, how parents will certify students are healthy to attend school, and more.
The Learning Environment Selection is now CLOSED in Skyward Family Access. If you have questions about your choice or would like to make a change, please reach out directly to your students' school(s).
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Metrics for Determining Type of Instruction
Decatur Public Schools, in conjunction with the Macon County Health Department (MCHD), has developed a series of metrics to determine when students can safely return to in-person instruction in our schools. Below you'll see the signs we are watching for and response should those signs arise. DPS continues to be in close consultation with the MCHD to make all health and safety-related decisions for our students, staff, schools, and community.
These metrics are based on county-level data provided weekly by the Illinois Department of Public Health, which you can find linked here.
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01/26/2021 Announcement
On Tuesday, January 26, 2021, at its regularly scheduled meeting, the DPS Board of Education requested DPS administration to develop a robust plan for a return to in-person instruction to begin following Spring Break. This means DPS students will remain in virtual learning only through Friday, March 12, 2021, leading up to Spring Break on March 15-19.
The following statement was read by Board President Beth Nolan during that meeting:
We, as the Board of Education, would like to begin this meeting with our collective thoughts around returning to in-person learning at Decatur Public Schools.
Since the Governor shut down school last March, many conversations have been had about the re-entry of students into our buildings. By nature of our school communities, when we gather, we are automatically a super-spreader event. Our smallest elementary building has nearly 300 people and our largest high school has more than 1,200 people every day.
As Board members, we have given overarching thoughts to administration regarding the return to learn plans. This process is their responsibility to research, benchmark with other districts, and gain all stakeholder input including students, parents, guardians, teachers, and staff before bringing forward a plan for implementation. There have been several attempts over the last months to return students to the classroom, but each time they have been met with obstacles too difficult to overcome, many of which were out of their control.
When we have listened to our administrative team, we did so as board members, parents, and community stakeholders. Collectively, we as a board have students in DPS that range in grade from Pre-K through 12th grade. We personally have children who are thriving in the virtual learning environment and some who are struggling each day. Several of us have children representing both ends of that spectrum within our own homes. As we started to hear preliminary ideas for the return to learn in early February, we were concerned. Many of the questions we had been asking from our parent perspective and questions being asked of us from other concerned stakeholders – teachers, staff, community members - were not being addressed.
As we consider every decision in the District, we look to our strategic plan as our guide. Strategy #2 states we will establish an environment to ensure the safety of all students. We recognize that in order for our students to be safe, our teachers and staff have to be safe as well.
With the aforementioned in mind, we have asked District administration to bring forward during our regularly scheduled Open Session meeting on Tuesday, February 9, 2021, the following:
- A return to learn recommendation that brings students back to the classroom after Spring Break with the following criteria:
- Significant input from district stakeholders – parents, staff, teachers.
- As many days of in-person instruction as possible while still maintaining all mandated safety precautions.
- A robust virtual learning plan that is equal to the learning that will be happening in the classroom for those families who choose to remain virtual. We are committed to the most equitable experience possible, so families are not forced to choose between their children learning and keeping their children and family safe.
- A plan that fully abides by orders that are in place from the Governor’s office, including social distancing, percentage of capacity per room, face masks, etc.
- A plan that considers more pathways for vaccination and the possibility of antibody testing to help ease our teacher and staff concerns around returning to in-person learning.
- A plan that addresses how to safely bring students and staff back together for extra-curricular activities as soon as possible. This does not have to wait until after Spring Break. If administration can put together a plan that brings students back for sports, music, arts, clubs, etc., we can implement that as soon as possible.
- A plan that considers a percentage of students in each building that must opt to return to in-person learning in order for the entire building to return.
Our hope is that when all points are addressed, our district stakeholders will feel comfortable with, and supportive of, the recommendation that is brought forward.
We know this pandemic has left students behind, and there is urgency to return to a normal learning environment, not just for the academic wellness of our students but for their social and emotional wellness as well. This is not just true of DPS, but across the globe. As we have stated several times in the last few months, we need to focus just as much energy on how students will get caught up after the world begins to return to normal.
On February 23, 2021, we have asked District administration to bring forward a plan that will address getting our students, who may have fallen behind during this time, where they need to be academically. The plan needs to have the following elements:
- Input from all stakeholders including teachers, parents, students, community partners who will also be helping our students – i.e. Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Club, YMCA, etc.
- A strong collaboration with all DPS impacted unions
- Creative educational opportunities that include:
- Non-traditional time frames for learning – i.e. summer, evening, and weekend learning options
- Leveraging technology that our teachers and students have adapted to using
- Specific use for the federal funds that we have been allotted to address this issue
In closing, there is no playbook for the issues we have faced. Districts across the state are tackling these issues in a variety of ways, each to fit their unique needs. Our district has 1,500 employees and 8,800 students. Each of those students has at least one family member or guardian and most have multiple people involved in their daily lives. If you add that up, the decisions that are made at Decatur Public Schools directly impact the daily lives of more than 27,000 people. We recognize the magnitude of our decisions and we want our District families, along with the community, to know what is being asked for in a return to learn plan for Decatur Public Schools.
We look forward to hearing next steps from our administration and to having our students’ voices fill the hallways of our buildings.
- A return to learn recommendation that brings students back to the classroom after Spring Break with the following criteria:
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01/12/2021 Announcement
Good afternoon DPS family. We have an important update to share on our planned return to in-person learning.
DPS administration established a series of metrics, which you can find below, to guide our decision making in bringing students back to in-person learning. The safety of students and staff is always our top priority. At this time, our transportation provider All Town is unable to provide the minimum number of bus drivers required to safely transport students to and from school. Because of this, we have made the determination that we cannot safely bring students back in person starting January 19. Therefore, we will postpone the in-person return to February 8, while we continue to look for solutions.
We do understand that the timing of this change is not ideal, as many families will now have to switch childcare plans again. Please know that we are working to make the best decisions we can with the information we have, while always keeping health and safety at the forefront of those decisions. We will continue to monitor the metrics and will keep you informed leading up to the February 8 return. Thank you for your understanding as we continue to work through these unprecedented times.
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01/08/2021 Announcement
We have been monitoring our community’s health data, and based on current indicators, determined that it is in the best interest of our students to begin in-person instruction in Decatur Public Schools. We’ve worked in conjunction with the Macon County Health Department to develop a series of metrics to examine in making this decision – those metrics have been frequently monitor and are posted on our website below. The decision matrix also includes responses should cases arise across our district or in a specific building. We feel confident that making in-person instruction available to those families who want it, while continuing to offer a virtual-only option, is the best decision at this time for our students.
DPS will welcome students back in person starting Tuesday, January 19, following the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday on January 18. Students who have previously declared they want in-person learning are assigned one day per week to attend in person for January 19 – February 5.
- In-person students are divided into two groups, A and B – in-person students will be notified by their school which group they are divided into. Group A students will attend in-person on Tuesdays, Group B students will attend in-person on Thursdays.
- All students will continue to attend school virtually on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Those who selected to continue with virtual learning only will still receive assignments for Tuesday and Thursdays; those who selected in-person learning will receive assignments for the day of school they are not in-person.
- Only those students who previously declared through Skyward that they would attend in person will attend for January 19 – February 5.
We have been preparing for many months to welcome students back in person. Below are just a few of the new measures that are in place for when students return:
- We will ask parents to certify in Skyward each morning that their student attends in person that the student does not have a fever and is not showing any COVID symptoms.
- Students will also get temperature checks and a symptom screening as they enter the buildings.
- We have enhanced cleaning and disinfecting procedures in all buildings, and have hand sanitizer and disinfecting supplies available in each classroom. DPS has also hired additional custodial staff to manage these enhanced cleaning needs, including substitute custodians and floating custodial staff to address needs in different locations as they arise.
- All classrooms have also been set up to allow for social distancing between desks.
There is much more information on these protocols in a handbook on our website, just click on Health & Safety above, or go directly to this link to read the Health & Safety Protocols Guidebook.
A form in Skyward is still open today for families to select if they want students to attend in-person starting February 8 – families have until the end of the day today, Friday, January 8, to make that selection in Skyward. If our community’s health data shows it is safe to do so, we will begin welcoming students back in-person more than one day per week, starting February 8. At this time, we are still examining options for expanded in-person instruction, including a possibility of offering two-days per week on the continuing hybrid schedule, in which each A and B group would attend two days per week in person. We will of course continue to offer a virtual-only option for those families and students who want it.
As always, we continue to monitor our community’s health and safety statistics as we make these decisions. We do know we are bound to encounter hurdles and unforeseen bumps in the road along the way, but we will all continue to work together to navigate through these unusual times.
Dr. Paul Fregeau
Superintendent, Decatur Public Schools
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12/04/2020 Announcement
UPDATED 12/04/2020
At this time, DPS plans to welcome students back in person starting Tuesday, January 19, following the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday on January 18. We do continue to monitor the health and safety of our community; therefore, this plan is tentative and will be reevaluated following the holiday break.
Students who have declared they want in-person learning will be assigned one day per week to attend in person for January 19 – February 5. In-person students will be divided into two groups, A and B; in-person students will be notified by their school which group they are divided into.
- Group A students will attend in-person on Tuesdays; Group B students will attend in-person on Thursdays.
- All students will continue to attend school virtually on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
- Those who selected to continue with virtual learning only will still receive assignments on Tuesday and Thursdays; those who selected in-person learning will receive assignments on the day of school they are not in-person.
Only those students who previously declared through Skyward that they would attend in person will attend for January 19 – February 5.
We are also reopening the form in Skyward for families to select if they want students to attend in-person starting February 8. Families have until January 8 to make that selection in Skyward using the “Learning Environment Choice” form under Online Forms.
If our community’s health data shows it is safe to do so, DPS will begin welcoming students back in-person 4-days per week, starting February 8. Students participating in-person would attend in-person Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, with all students participating in virtual learning on Wednesdays. Students will transition from 1-day per week in-person to 4-days per week following this schedule:
- PreK-2nd: 4-days per week starting February 8; 3rd-12th: continue with 1-day per week
- PreK-8th: 4-days per week starting February 15; 9th-12th: continue with 1-day per week
- All students: 4-days per week starting February 22
Parents/guardians do continue to have the option of keeping students on virtual learning only. Virtual students will continue to receive instruction 5 days per week, with a focus on independent assignments with limited face-to-face interaction. Anyone who does not complete the "Learning Environment Choice" form in Skyward will automatically be placed in virtual instruction.
Again, this plan is tentative, pending health and safety statistics in our community, and will be reevaluated as we approach these dates.
Dr. Fregeau
Superintendent, Decatur Public Schools
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11/17/2020 Announcement
Updated 11/17/2020
Good morning DPS Family! Yesterday we received guidance from the Macon County Health Department, requesting that all schools in Macon County shift to virtual learning through at least January 15, 2021. Throughout this entire pandemic, protecting the health and safety of our staff, students, and community has been our top priority. We will once again follow the guidance of health experts and stay with virtual learning through January 15.We do continue the planning process for students’ return to in-person learning. But as always, we continue to monitor the health and safety of our entire community as we make decisions on when it will be safe for students to return. As we approach the Thanksgiving and holiday season, I implore you to please take every safety precaution you can – wear a mask, wash your hands, stay home as much as possible, and as difficult as it may be, avoid gathering with people from outside your own household.Thank you for your continued vigilance in protecting our DPS Family and our community.Dr. FregeauSuperintendent, Decatur Public Schools -
10/30/2020 Announcement
Students from PreK through 12th grade in Decatur Public Schools will continue to participate in virtual learning only for the remainder of the second quarter of the 2020-21 school year. The second quarter ends on December 18, 2020.
“This was a difficult decision to make, as we know it’s very important to get our students back in the classroom. Nothing can replace the live interaction students get in person with their teachers and their peers,” said Dr. Paul Fregeau, Superintendent of Decatur Public Schools. “However, we also know that the health of our community is an essential factor in making our decision, and right now those health factors don’t support bringing our students back to in-person learning.”
DPS administration continues to work with principals, teachers, and staff to plan for a return to in-person learning, which could happen as early as the beginning of the third quarter on January 4, 2021. However, we will also continue to monitor our community’s health factors to make that determination. An announcement will be made on Friday, December 4, 2020, about third quarter learning.
