Board to hold hearing on e‑learning plan renewal; district keeps status quo for now
Summary
Administrators recommended renewing the district’s three‑year e‑learning plan with no substantive changes and scheduled a public hearing for the September board meeting; staff emphasized the Illinois State Board of Education guidance that in‑person learning is preferred and that e‑learning is a last‑resort tool limited by statute.
An administrator recommended renewing the district’s three‑year e‑learning plan without changes and said the board will hold the required public hearing during the September meeting, alongside the budget hearing.
Why it matters: The e‑learning plan allows up to five e‑learning days and is paired with five emergency days; together they provide options to continue instruction during some disruptions without declaring act‑of‑god days that reduce the district’s required in‑person attendance days.
The presenter read a statement from the Illinois State Board of Education and attributed it to the ISBE website: "The Illinois State Board of Education recognizes and affirms the fundamental importance of in‑person learning for the well‑being of students, families, and communities. We know that children learn best and educators teach best when they are physically present together in the same space." The administrator said the district views e‑learning as "just another tool in the toolbox" to be used as a last resort.
The administrator explained the statutory structure: each district has five emergency days and may include up to five e‑learning days; districts must exhaust emergency and e‑learning days before using act‑of‑god days that reduce required attendance. The presenter said the district has not used e‑learning days in the last three years and that the plan remains status quo. He advised staff will publish the required written and electronic notices to parents, guardians and employees and include language in the district newsletter prior to the scheduled hearing.
Board members expressed mixed personal views about e‑learning — several said they do not favor it — but there were no proposed changes to the plan. The board asked staff to proceed with notice and bring an adoption resolution to the Sept. 4 meeting.
Ending: Staff will publish required notices and present a resolution to adopt the e‑learning plan at the September meeting; no substantive change to the current plan was proposed.
