Dear District 97 Community,
As you have likely already learned through news reports, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced Friday afternoon that all public and private K-12 schools will remain closed through the remainder of the 2019-20 school year due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Click here to read the announcement >
Although we have been planning for this possibility for some time, we are still incredibly sad that our students and staff will not be returning to our schools this spring. Please know that our commitment to you is unwavering, and even though our buildings are closed, learning will continue in District 97.
Remote Learning Days will be held through the remainder of the school year, and we will continue to follow the plan outlined in our Remote Learning Family Guide. Our last day of school is still scheduled for June 5, and we have already identified April 24 as our next Remote Learning Planning Day for staff.
We know that this situation has been challenging for students, families and staff, and we recognize that our Remote Learning Plan does not replace the experience of going to school every day. However, we believe very strongly in continuous improvement and we are working diligently to develop new strategies and resources that will support you through this process. If you have not done so already, please fill out our Remote Learning Family Survey, which will inform our plans moving forward.
We also realize that there will be many questions as a result of this announcement, including our plans for end-of-year celebrations, transitioning students to new schools, retrieving personal items for our buildings, etc. We are currently working through the logistics for many of these concerns, and we are anticipating further guidance from the state regarding our eventual transition back to on-site learning. We will share more details in the coming days; please continue to monitor your email and our district website.
Finally, we want to emphasize that our priority during this closure is the health and well-being of our students, families and staff. We will continue to support you in any way we can—whether it’s by providing access to technology, distributing free meals on Mondays or simply listening to your concerns. Please visit www.op97.org/covid19 for more information on community resources, mental health support and more.
Thank you for your ongoing support, resilience and compassion during this unprecedented time. We will get through this together.
Sincerely,
Dr. Carol Kelley
Superintendent