An Update from Superintendent Carol Kelley - June 12, 2020

District 97 Community,

I hope you all have had a safe and restful start to summer break. Like school districts across the state and country, District 97 has been working to prepare for a number of scenarios for the 2020-21 school year, all of which depend on the most up-to-date guidance from our governor, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).

We know everyone is anxious to know what the return to school will look like; however, the reality is that it is still too early to know what the health circumstances and official guidance will dictate. We anticipate receiving the next part of the state’s transition plan for schools later this month and the second version of ISBE’s Remote Learning Recommendations soon thereafter. Our goal is to share more concrete plans with students, staff and families during our July board meeting.

Please see below for updates on 2020-21 planning and meal distributions.

June 16 Presentation - Remote Learning Feedback

During our June 16 board meeting, we will share a special report containing a comprehensive summary of feedback we received from stakeholders related to their (spring 2020) remote learning experiences. This feedback includes a diverse collection of stakeholder voices and perspectives—including students—and is being integrated into our planning efforts this summer.

Participate in 2020-21 Planning (for Community Members)

If you are interested in working on a committee that will be designing a survey seeking feedback on our ongoing plans to potentially re-open schools this fall, please visit our Let’s Talk page (see Covid-19/Planning for 2020-21) and send us a brief message with your contact information. Meetings will take place weekly, starting later this month.

Meal Distributions

District 97 will continue to hold meal distributions through June 22. Pick-ups will be held every Monday, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Longfellow Elementary School (for Julian and feeder schools), 715 S. Highland Ave., and Brooks Middle School (for Brooks and feeder schools), 325 S. Kenilworth Ave. Meals are available to any District 97 family in need. On June 15, each student will receive breakfast and lunch items for five days. On June 22, each student will receive breakfast and lunch items for seven days. If you have any questions, please contact our food service coordinator, Carla Ellis, at [email protected].

I deeply appreciate your patience as we navigate these challenging circumstances together in the service of Oak Park’s students. For more information about COVID-19 and our Fall 2020 planning, visit https://www.op97.org/updatecenter/2020-21-planning.

Sincerely,

Dr. Carol Kelley
Superintendent