ISBE Releases Guidance for SY20-21
Posted on 06/23/2020
Planning for SY20-21
Wilmette Public Schools District 39

Wilmette Public Schools District 39
Mikaelian Education Center
615 Locust Road
Wilmette, IL 60091
847-512-6000
www.wilmette39.org

Dear District 39 Community,

 

I hope this message finds you and your families safe and well. Today, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released guidance for schools regarding reopening for the 2020-2021 school year. 

This 60-page document has been much anticipated and will go a long way toward answering critical questions all of us share about what next year will look like in terms of in-person learning, scheduling, transportation, wearing masks, social distancing and other measures intended to keep everyone safe and healthy, while also re-engaging students in the learning process.  

School districts across Illinois received this guidance document today at the same time as it was released to the public. Our District 39 Fall 2020 Planning Committee and Advisory Task Force have already initiated their work with thorough review and consideration of the information that has been available to us thus far. We will use the coming weeks to thoroughly review this new ISBE document to determine how to best implement the guidance it contains into our district’s 2020-2021 school year transition plan. 

As I mentioned in last week’s communication, we expect to provide families with an update on our Wilmette Public Schools D39’s planning for reopening on Friday, July 17.  We plan to provide a more detailed update on returning to school, including reopening plans and procedures, on Friday, July 31.

In the spirit of partnership and ongoing communication, we will launch a new page on our website tomorrow afternoon containing information on our Fall 2020 Planning and Transition process. We hope this informative webpage will provide you with insights into our considerations as well as an overview of our general planning process. 

Thank you for your patience, understanding and support as we work together with our Planning Committee and Advisory Task Force to navigate this unprecedented situation together. We aim to build in-person student learning and connections as often as possible while abiding by state health and safety guidelines. Our teams are guided by our four commitments for return to learning and I am confident our district can put forth a flexible and adaptable plan that prioritizes targeted student learning and the health and safety of our students while allowing for manageable, meaningful and sustainable teaching and learning to occur in our district. We will be designing plans with these commitments in mind as we work to maximize student learning. 

I will be in touch soon. In the meantime, stay safe and be well.  Enjoy your summer, and continue to spread joy and kindness wherever your paths may take you.

 

Sincerely,

Dr. Cremascoli
Kari Cremascoli, Ph.D.
Superintendent
Wilmette Public Schools District 39