December 11, 2020
Dear Shorewood Families and Community Members:
With the District’s Winter Break and New Year around the corner, we want to share important information about the second semester, which begins on January 25, 2021. It does take a village to raise a child, and your commitment to health and safety over the holidays will help us reopen schools as soon as possible.
At the School Board meeting on December 8, Board members heard from representatives of the District’s Medical Advisory Group, the Shorewood Education Association and the Northshore Health Department about the newest data on COVID-19, the experience of other school districts in managing case numbers, and the social-emotional and academic impact of prolonged school closures on students.
Based on this input, and after reviewing the Learning Model Transition Plan Proposal, the Board approved the health and operating plan requirements below to guide the introduction of a Hybrid (a combination of physically-distanced in-person learning and virtual instruction) AM/PM learning model in our elementary schools at the following COVID -19 thresholds:
Approved COVID-19 Gating Criteria and Learning Model Recommendations
The following information provides context for the COVID-19 case parameters selected by the School Board:
- Shorewood’s community case numbers are currently in the critical range, with case burdens around 600 and positive test rates over 21%;
- The COVID-19 case burden of 350 or less outlined in our plan is consistent with recommendations of the Northshore Health Department, the CDC and other authorities;
- Positivity rates and trend metrics developed by the Medical Advisory Group liberalize these parameters, based on new research about school transmissions, especially in children under age ten; and
- Finally, the School Board’s decision was also informed by the experiences of area schools that have struggled to maintain staff coverage and student attendance in communities with case burdens approaching 500.
A joint Atwater and Lake Bluff workgroup made up of teachers and administrators is preparing operational plans to support AM/PM Hybrid instruction for K-6 students while members of the Medical Advisory Group finalize health recommendations that will guide a transition to Hybrid learning for students in grades 7-12.
District monitoring of COVID-19 gating criteria will begin on December 28, and must be met for two weeks to begin a transition to Hybrid instruction. The earliest date to implement Hybrid instruction is Monday, January 25th. Virtual+ instruction will continue for those students and families who elect not to participate in Hybrid or In-Person instruction. The District will be providing updates about the K4-6 Hybrid instruction operation plan and approval of gating criteria for students in grades 7 - 12 in the weeks ahead.
There is no perfect - or easy - solution for all of the issues that the pandemic has caused for children and families. Thank you all for your partnership and collaboration during these stressful times. As we approach Winter Break, we do want to take a moment and share our gratitude for all that you are doing to support students, staff, and the community. We are truly all in this together.
Be Well,
Bryan Davis
Shorewood Schools Superintendent
Paru Shah
Shorewood School Board President