The smaller private and charter schools in the Elgin are area planning more in-person instruction than their public school counterparts, most of whom are opting for remote learning for the first of the new school year.
ELGIN MATH AND SCIENCE ACADEMY
Classes resume Wednesday, Aug. 12, at EMSA. The 325 K-5 students will follow a hybrid learning model of in-person and remote learning.
Half of the students will attend in person Monday and Tuesday and the other half on Thursday and Friday. Alternate days will be done remotely. Wednesday will be an e-learning day for all students so the school can do a thorough mid-weak clean.
Principal Lezlie Fuhr said about 20% of families opted for the all-remote learning option. Families can choose to switch to this option during the school year with advance notice.
“We haven’t made families supply us a reason for (opting into the all-remote option),” she said. “It’s really a comfort level for them and their family’s circumstances. We wanted to give them a choice.”
Changes will be apparent once students are inside the school, Fuhr said. Instructional signage has been installed and students will eating lunch inside their classrooms, she said. Visitor access will be limited.
Fuhr acknowledged the school’s layout and elementary-only grade structure makes it easier to accommodate the plan.
“Students aren’t really changing classrooms here,” she said.
ELGIN ACADEMY
The private school on Park Street, which will resume classes in late August, unveiled its updated reopening plan Friday.
Most of its 200-plus students will attend in person, but families can enroll their children for an all-remote format if they prefer.
“We feel like we have a situation that is conducive right now to be back in person,” Head of School Seth Hanford said. “We have the space, we have the class sizes, we have multiple buildings, we have a schedule that will allow us” to offer instructional options.
“This is our plan as of Aug. 7,” he added, “but we understand that can change.”
Primary grade classes will be between 10 and 13 students, while secondary classes will be capped at 18. In order to reduce any cross-contamination, most students will stay within their own buildings.
Lunch will be eaten in classrooms rather than the school cafeteria, and those who buy lunch will have their meals delivered to them, Hanford said. High school seniors will not be allowed leave campus for lunch this fall, he added.
Schoolwide cleaning will be similar to what they do during a flu outbreak, when spaces are cleaned nightly, Hanford said. High-touch areas will be wiped down throughout the day, common space furniture has been removed and students will not use lockers, he said.
Students will self-screen using a smartphone app, which will ask them if they exhibit any COVID-19 symptoms or were exposed to the virus. Self-certifying must be done every day and results will be checked upon school arrival, the reopening plan said.
ELGIN-AREA CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
Rockford Catholic Diocese schools in the Elgin area will open for in-person classes beginning this month, pending any changes to health guidelines.
The diocese has put together detailed plans for elementary and secondary schools that outline health and safety precautions and guidelines and lunch and recess procedures.
“Individual principals throughout our 11-county diocese at this time are also making sure to have plans in place for e-learning like that which took place in the spring,” diocese spokeswoman Penny Wiegert said in a statement.
According to the diocese’s reopening plans:
Elementary students will remain with their class or cohort for as much of the day as possible;
Classes will be separated from one another during recess, with playground and shared equipment wiped down frequently;
Physical education classes will be taught outdoors whenever possible;
Art and gym teachers and librarians will visit students in their classrooms rather than the students moving to other parts of the building.
Any child or adult exhibiting symptoms in school will quarantine in a designated area, the plan said. Students or staff returning to school following a home quarantine must check in before allowed back in class.
School registration is still open, including at the new St. Edward Catholic Preparatory Academy in Elgin, Wiegert said.
ENROLLMENT INCREASES?
While some private schools in other areas have seen enrollment bumps because parents prefer their children attend in-person classes rather than doing remote learning, that hasn’t been the case yet in the Elgin area, officials said.
“We always have interest during the summer, but we certainly have had more this summer,” Hanford said.
Elgin Academy welcomes interest a family might have in enrolling but cautioned there is an admissions process as well as a desire to keep class sizes small this year for social distancing.
Wiegert said some of the diocese schools have experienced additional interest but others have seen enrollment drops. Final numbers will be available once school resumes, she said.
EMSA had a “notable increase (in calls) this summer,” Fuhr said, but the school has a waiting list of more than 250 students.
raguerrero@tribpub.com
