South Cook News

Naperville Community Unit School District 203 Board of Education met Sept. 23.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

Call to order

President Kristin Fitzgerald called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Board members present: Kristin Fitzgerald, Kristine Gericke, Joe Kozminski, Janet Yang Rohr, Paul Leong, Donna Wandke, and Charles Cush (arrived at 6:03pm).

Administrators present were:

Dan Bridges, Superintendent,

Bob Ross, Chief Human Resources Officer, (exited at 6:09pm) Michael Frances, Chief Financial Officer/CSBO (exited at 6:09pm)

Closed Session

Donna Wandke moved, seconded by Kristine Gericke to go into Closed Session at 6:00 p.m. for consideration of:

1. Pursuant to 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(21) Discussion of minutes lawfully closed under the Open Meetings Act, for purposes of approval by the body of the minutes or semi-annual review of the minutes as mandated by Section 2.06. 08/17/2020, 09/08/2020.

2. Pursuant to 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1) Appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the District or legal counsel for the District.

3. Pursuant to 5 ILCS 120/2 (c)(11) Litigation, when an action against, affecting or on behalf of the particular District has been filed and is pending before a court or administrative tribunal.

Meeting Opening

Kristine Gericke made a motion, seconded by Donna Wandke to return to Open Session at 7:10pm. A roll call vote was taken. Those voting yes: Fitzgerald, Wandke, Kozminski, Yang Rohr, Gericke and Cush. No: Leong. The motion carried

Welcome and Mission

Kristin Fitzgerald welcomed all and read Naperville Community Unit School District 203’s Mission Statement.

Roll Call

Board members present: Kristin Fitzgerald, Donna Wandke, Charles Cush, Paul Leong, Joe Kozminski, Kristine Gericke and Janet Yang Rohr.

Student Ambassadors present: NCHS William Ma, NNHS Shay Doshi

Administrators present: Dan Bridges, Superintendent, Roger Brunelle, Chief Information Officer Michael Frances, Chief Financial Officer/CSBO, Chuck Freundt, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education, Christine Igoe, Assistant Superintendent for Student Services, Rakeda Leaks, Executive Director of Inclusion and Diversity, Sinikka Mondini, Executive Director for Communications, Patrick Nolten, Assistant Superintendent for Assessment and Accountability, Bob Ross, Chief Human Resources Officer, Stephanie Posey, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education.

Pledge of Allegiance:

Led by Board of Education

Good News

National Merit Corporation announced that 48 students from D203 are Semi-Finalists in the 66th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Students have the opportunity to continue in the competition for scholarships that will be offered in the spring.

Students from Naperville Central are:

Thrisha Bandepallee, Nicholas Bird, Andrea Brewe, Alicia Chen, Aastha Chouhan, Elliott Clements, Michael Deng, Steven Desch, Dane Engman, Aiden Fockens, Arthur Graham, Braden Hajer, Maya Kathinokkula, Simeon Lee, Kate Li, Elizabeth Liu, William Ma, Amisha Sethi, Anna Sonnenschein, Paari Thankiachalam, David Wang, Ziyin Wang, Colin Yao, Brandon Zhang, Jasmine Zhang

Students from Naperville North are:

Luca Bolla, Skyler Kahng, Jubin Kim, Judson Lam, Maisie Li, David Mengel, Holden Mui, Alayna Nguyen, Owen O'Brien, Asha Rajagopal, Eron Ristich, Arjun Shah, Rachel Shi, Randall Shobert, Janelle Smith, Aditya Tolia, Katherine Watson, Wyatt Woker, Geoffrey Wu, Eva Yang, Rachel Yao, Irene Zhang, Emily Zhao

Public Comments:

Mary Kate Watkins

Asking everyone to work together in a metric driven transparent way to get back into in person learning. The teachers are doing a great job, working hard and exceeding expectations. Virtual is not the same as being in the classroom. What is safe is different for everyone. District needs to be more transparent. All have to make sacrifices. Disappointing when the district pivoted to a completely remote model and did not provide transparent reasons as to why. Why have other districts been able to get elementary back in the classroom? We can do better than this. What are the metrics? What benchmarks do you need to see? Tell the community what you need in order to get students back into the classroom. The lack of transparency is causing distrust in our district leadership.

Greg Polheber

Thank you to the teachers who are working hard and doing their best. Kids are struggling. District might be focused on the benefits of elearning instead of the struggles. Daughter is overwhelmed with all the logging in. She has lost her desire of reading. Son has screamed at teacher out of frustration. What do parents who cannot help do? Child’s behavior has changed. Moved here specifically for the schools. You need to get kids back into the classroom. How can Naperville not get kids back into the classrooms with all the available resources? You are failing at your jobs. Kids need to be off computer screens and back into the classrooms.

Tom Koutsos

Daughter is at Ann Reid and had an IEP. Shared his disappointment with District Leadership. We need to stand up for our kids especially special needs kids and IEP kids.

Chris Silagi

Asking the school district to provide a choice for in person or elearning. The school community no longer exists. Our kids need to have an in person learning experience. Examples of elearning failing are vast. Children are losing SEL skills. Why can’t the district meet the guidelines that laid out? What are the metrics the district is using to make these decisions? In person, learning has worked but it does not meet the standards that the community wants.

Catherine Kingsbury

Elearning enhancements are a word salad of what you have not done. Nothing has been done in any of the schools to be ready for students to come back. Leaders were not preparing in buildings to be ready for students to return on August 20, 2020. It appears that there have been no plans put in place. Tell the children that you care and what your plans are.

Marty Philipchuck

We have child in DL and son with autism in ARECC. Made a lot of progress that all stopped once elearning started. He needs the social engagement and modeling. Heartbreaking to see him regress. Kids with IEP’s really need to be in person. Need intervention early. ARECC staff want to see him succeed. Please consider sending children with IEPs back to in person learning.

Amanda Mullarky

Advocating for all students to be back in person. Need transparency. Son is a K at Prairie but cannot stay on the screen all day. Young children are not able to ask for help. Terrible toll on their mental health. Jamie-Want to see my friends and teacher.

Eric Mallory

March and April, all for the lockdown. Time has passed and it is time to get back. Embarrassed to think about what his grandparents would be thinking. Let us get it together, kids, parents and society needs it.

Trisha Quizon

Read a Cease and Desist order stating that the current ongoing school closures violate state and federal law and the rights of citizens. All authority was ruled to be unlawful. Unlawful to prevent students from having in class learning.

Olivia Quizon

Student so sad to not be in school. Hard to be online for 7 hours every day. I cannot stand it anymore and everything is mixed up. I want to see my friends and teachers. Sometimes my computer shuts down.

Lisa Torson

Students need the support of a teacher. Students do not have great relationship with teachers as was stated at the meeting. Dual working parents are to rely on the YMCA or Champions. How is that any different from being in person? Why are we not in person? We are an amazing district and we need to get to be in person.

The Board appreciates your advocacy for your children. Each comment whether or email or in person, your comments are important. We appreciate and hear all of your concerns.

Superintendent Bridges noted that all received email messages have been posted in Board Docs. All comments pertained to the Return to Learn plan. There are some in favor of returning to in person learning and some who are in favor of eLearning,

Robert Patt

Teaching these students to rely on screens to learn. Takes away from relationships. Zoom is not the answer. Teachers are what makes the education. Kids are missing out on things. We need to do better and turn aside our differences and find a way to get them back into the classroom.

Monthly Reports

 Treasury Report- The Board received the July Treasurer’s Statement

 Investments- The Board received the July Investment Report

 Insurance-The Board received the July Insurance Report

 Budget-The Board Received the July Budget Report

Action by Consent:

1. Bills and Claims from Warrant #1028239 thru Warrant #1028769 totaling $28,725,259.71 for the period of August 18, 2020 to September 21, 2020.

2. Adoption of Personnel Report

	Effective Date	Location	Position
REVISED CONTRACT-CERTIFIED PART-TIME
Lindsey Fansler	26-Aug-20	LJHS/JJHS	Art
Lori Peterson	26-Aug-20	LJHS/JJHS	FACS
RETIREMENT-CLASSIFIED
Mary Saftig	30-Sep-20	Ranch View	Special Education Assistant
RESIGNATION-CLASSIFIED
Ray Cancino	14-Sep-20	Transportation	Bus Driver
Brooke Gatto	18-Sep-20	NCHS	Campus Supervisor
Michael Kalina	14-Aug-20	NNHS	Campus Supervisor
Margaret LoBue	31-Aug-20	Lincoln	Special Education Assistant
Mary Beth Towers	1-Jul-20	Meadow Glens	Instructional Assistant
Raymond Wronkiewicz	14-Aug-20	NNHS	Campus Supervisor
EMPLOYMENT-CLASSIFIED FULL- TIME
Gabrielle DeDivitis	10-Sep-20	NCHS	Special Education Assistant
Cameron Fink	14-Sep-20	Lincoln	Special Education Assistant
Ana Maria Gentil	14-Sep-20	Highlands	Special Education Assistant
Deborah James	17-Sep-20	Lincoln	Special Education Assistant
LEAVE OF ABSENCE-CLASSIFIED
Martha Perez	1/1/21-4/30/21	Mill Street	DL Assistant

3. Minutes 08/17/2020, 09/08/2020

4. Disposal or Sale of Assets

Charles Cush made a motion to approve Warrant #1028239 thru Warrant #1028769 totaling $28,725,259.71 for the period of August 18, 2020 to September 21, 2020 and the remaining items on the Consent Agenda as presented, seconded by Donna Wandke. Those voting yes: Wandke, Yang Rohr, Gericke, Cush, Leong, Kozminski and Fitzgerald. No: None.

Student Ambassador Reports

William Ma-NCHS-

Senior, on the Debate Team, DECA, and interested Teen mental health. William gave a perspective of a high school student during eLearning:

 Larger variation in teachers and classes.

 Some classes are entirely on Zoom

 Some have been mostly asynchronous learning with only zoom for attendance

 Most are in between.

 Homework has varied as well.

Student thoughts

 Most say zoom has gone better than expected

 The structure has helped.

 Feels more like actual school.

 Feel less personal and can be tiring to sit in front of a screen.

NCHS has had a number of activities. Parent teacher conferences sign ups, SAT testing on Wednesday.NCHS hosted a successful optional SAT testing date in August. National Merit semifinalists have been announced. We have had material pick up via drive thru.

Six fall sports going on, girls’ Swimming, boys’ and girls’ Golf, girls’ Tennis, and boys’ and girls’ Cross Country. Clubs are meeting virtually.

Shay Doshi-NNHS-

Senior on the Gymnastics team.

Feedback on elearning is that it is going much better than in the spring. Students and teachers emotions are better. Teachers have done a phenomenal job at teaching us.

Mr. NNHS in a couple of week on the football field. NNHS is doing the same sports at NCHS.

Written Communications

Freedom of Information Requests:

Collins-Attendance Information

CBS-Staffing Information

O’Connell-Attendance, Calendar and Operations Information Deegan-Staff, Student and Enrollment Information Tanner-Transportation Information

S. Jones- Staff Information

Clark-Honors Math Placement

F. Jones-COVID Information

Emberton-Election Information

Superintendent/Staff/School Report Executive Director of D& I Dr. Rakeda Leaks Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Update

 Thank you:

 the diversity advisory committee which is comprised of two representatives from each school

 the diversity advisory committee

 the staff, families, current and former students,

 the community leaders who advocated for our most underserved and underrepresented populations in the District.

 Our hard working leaders, educators and staff are actively working to address the areas in which we have not lived up to our full potential in effectively serving ALL students.

 In 2018-2019, with input from the district leadership team, building leaders, and the diversity advisory committee we identified 4 Diversity & Inclusion priority areas including:

 Examine systemic inequities

 District-wide implicit bias training

 A curriculum review

 And examine recruitment and hiring practices

 In order to advance this work, we also identified strategic partnerships, like Indiana University’s the Midwest & Plains Equity Assistance Center and Corwin’s Deep Equity program, to provide additional expertise and build our capacity to achieve our desired outcomes.

 The first priority area is examining systemic inequities.

 Thanks to the Board of Education for approving our partnership with Corwin’s Deep Equity team to help us build our capacity to thoroughly examine our schools and the district through an equity lens. Each school building including Connections as well as the district office has an equity team, which is comprised of certified and non-certified staff and has a diverse demographic makeup.

 This past spring’s shelter-in-place orders required us to cancel the sessions that we planned in April 2020. As a result, we revised the Deep Equity Professional Learning Plan to include makeup dates from the spring as well as the remaining session dates for 2020-2021 school year.

 All fall 2020 sessions will be virtual.

 Our second priority area is district-wide implicit bias training.

 Since June 2019, over 800 Naperville 203 staff have participated in one of our in-person implicit bias trainings.

 Implicit Bias trainings demonstrate how people make, and sometimes act on, snap judgments based on the other person’s identity group, without any conscious intention. Implicit bias often operates sub- consciously. Generally, we do not even realize that we are being biased. However, unconsciously biased decisions made by educators affect student’s life trajectories regardless of intent.

 In addition to the in-person training sessions we have offered, we also require all staff to complete a course titled “Cultural Competency & Racial Bias” through our Human Resources training platform, Global Compliance Network, as known as GCN. This satisfies Illinois HOUSE BILL 3869 Sec. 10-20.60. Implicit Bias Training that states that school boards shall require in-service training for school personnel to include training to develop cultural competency including understanding and reducing implicit racial bias.

 During the 2019-20 school year, implicit bias trainings were held for the general 203 community including our Focus 203 sessions and others.

 This spring, we intend to continue our in-person implicit bias trainings for additional employee groups including all certified staff. If we are unable to offer the trainings in-person, then we will offer live sessions virtually.

 Our third priority area is a curriculum review.

 In the spring of 2019, with approval from the Board of Education,a memorandum of understanding with the Great Lakes Equity Center was developed. In fall of 2019, we began our two year partnership with the center. We collaboratively developed two goals that frame our professional development and work with the Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center. Jayne Willard, Jenny Donatelli and I participate in monthly calls and have planned professional learning sessions that include school leaders, learning services staff, learning support coaches, learning commons directors, and student services coordinators. As we work with curriculum teams we embed this learning into our curriculum development to ensure that the curriculum we create for students is done through a lens of equity.

 Our fourth priority area is to examine recruitment and hiring practices to build a more diverse workforce.

 I want to use this opportunity to highlight and celebrate the district’s improved diversity hiring outcomes as a result of targeted trainings and recruitment strategies. Although there is still much work to be done, as of August 20, 2020, this current school year’s new educator class of hires is progressing toward being more representative of our study body. In this instance, educator is defined as certified staff persons including teachers, social workers, school counselors, etc. We made the biggest improvement in hiring educators who identify as Hispanic or Latinx. Additionally, part of what makes this class of new educators diverse are things you don’t see in these number because we don’t track it – things like teachers who speak multiple languages or wear clothing that makes their religion known.

 Our HR department and school leaders’ hard work paid off tremendously.

 Naperville 203 is widely recognized as a top-performing, well-resourced unit school district in Illinois. We set high standards and expectations for our students and we have consistently ranked highly on state and national performance assessments. Despite our overall high-academic achievement patterns, we are aware of persistent racial, ethnic, and economic related disparities and inequities in our students’ learning and comprehensive school experiences.

 As evident by the Board of Education’s Equity Resolution, we know that we must focus on educational equity to ensure every student has access to exemplary learning opportunities with the support they need to be “self-directed learners, collaborative workers, complex thinkers, quality producers, and community contributors.” We will achieve educational equity when educational policies, practices, interactions, and resources are representative of, constructed by, and responsive to all people so that each individual has access to, meaningfully participates in, and has positive outcomes from high-quality learning experiences, regardless of individual characteristics and group memberships.

 Our district student demographics has shifted significantly in our District, academic achievement gaps exist between student groups (i.e.: race, ethnicity, income, and English proficiency) on standardized exams such as the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) in English language arts and math and the SAT examinations. Closing these gaps is a majority priority for our District and a primary purpose for developing this Comprehensive Equity Plan.

 Dr. Christine Igoe, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services; Jayne Willard, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction and I created the initial draft of the Naperville 203’s comprehensive equity plan.

 To ensure diverse voices and perspectives were reflected, the following individuals and groups reviewed and provided key input in the final comprehensive equity plan to create the conditions for a truly equitable and inclusive learning environment where all students thrive to their fullest potential.

 Naperville 203 cabinet leadership team

 Naperville 203 district leadership team (including all principals, high school APs, and district senior leadership)

 Naperville 203 diversity advisory committee; and

 Midwest & Plains Equity Assistance Center

 In the coming months, we will make our equity plan available to the public.

 We know that Naperville 203 cannot address these issues alone. We rely on our partnerships and we rely on our community including students, staff, families, and the larger 203 community.

 We continue to work closely with external community organizations and networks including but not limited to the ones listed on this slide to better support marginalized and underrepresented groups in our district. We would like our community’s help in identifying additional organizations that are not listed as well.

 Thank you that concludes my presentation and I welcome any questions from the board.

Board Questions/Comments:

President Fitzgerald thanked Dr. Leaks for this report; it is exciting to see this work. The Board has been very committed to this work as was evidenced by the passing of the Resolution this summer.

Thank you for your presentation. I am delighted to be on the diversity committee. The progress made by this group is impressive. The equity plan aligns well with the Board’s Equity Resolution. Defining indicators of success is important. Continue to engage the community engagement.

There is a very detailed equity plan. What is the timeline to put the equity plan into place? Superintendent Bridges noted that the plan is still in draft form so updates will continue to be made to it. Dr. Leaks responded that the committee is still collecting feedback from some of the stakeholder groups. Should be on the website in late October as a final document.

Appreciate all the effort and progress in hiring a diverse staff that has been made. What are some efforts to retain the diverse staff that we have hired?

Dr. Leaks noted that a retention metric would be added to the plan. Some of the strategies to ensure we are retaining the staff that we have are an employee resource group that provides an opportunity to meet, network, and leverage them to increase our diversity and inclusion initiatives. Involving them in that process makes them feel more connected to the community and more likely to stay.

My understanding that you are going thru a review of policies. Are there policies that have been found to be racist and need to be changed?

Dr. Leaks reported that we have had to suspend some of that review but it will begin again next week. We have received some feedback that some of our policies are not explicit enough to call out racism. The Corwin Deep Equity will be helping us build our capacity in order to identify policies that may need to be revised.

What did you do differently that allowed the hiring of diverse staff when in the past we have failed to do so?

Dr. Leaks stated that she collaborated with the HR team to see where we can create relationships with diverse candidates. We started to engage with Historically Black Colleges and Universities to build relationships and whenever possible attend their recruitment events. We have had some of our diverse staff join us on some of the recruitment visits.

Are you working with teachers and counselors to ensure equitable practices in helping students in applying to college?

Dr. Leaks stated that she recently became aware of that are of concern based on a Harvard University Dean of Students. We will be adding to our review to ensure the recommendation process is equitable and free of bias and discrimination.

There are no current numbers that we can review or audit what has been done in the past?

Dr. Christine Igoe responded that she would need to look into that and she will report later.

Thank you for this report. It was exciting to see this on the agenda.

The whole draft document is great but the inclusion of members of the community is exciting to see.

What is the work that has been done to help with this eLearning time to not have any inequities? Dr. Leaks reported that we have worked with some community groups to help support some of these students with tutoring and collaborating.

Thank you. What do curriculum reviews look like and how much is changing and when?

Dr. Leaks noted that we are reviewing our capacity to be able to look at our curriculum with a critical eye. We have been doing a lot of professional learning around this. We will have the tools to do the review and audit of our curriculum. That will be towards the end of our partnership with Great Lakes Assistance Center.

Would like to see baseline data to show the growth we have made in 2023.

Would like to commend you for the work. This has been a huge priority for the Board and the community. It is rewarding to see the progress and the additional work ahead. What is being done to increase the hearing of student voices? How we ae going to monitor progress and involve them in this equity journey?

Dr. Leaks remarked that we would offer an annual training for 6-12 that will help them have constructive discussions around diversity, equity and inclusion. Facilitate and build a sense of community amongst each other. How to respond to acts of bias and micro aggressions and to self-advocate.

Thank you. Students will want to be engaged.

How can we measure the family engagement and ensure a sense of belongingness?

Dr. Leaks responded that we would need to identify how to get that feedback back from families. We have talked about a survey that explicitly asks about connectedness. We will need to create one or identify a company that would have a survey. We will need to learn how to disaggregate those responses based on demographics to be able to best use that data.

Return to Learn Update

Superintendent Bridges thank those who came and spoke. Thank you for your voice and advocacy. The Board and Superintendent Bridges appreciates your voice. Superintendent Bridges wants you to know that he hears you and appreciated your comments, especially how this affects young children. This affects him personally. We will get back to school as soon as we can based on the guidelines. Decisions are made using guidelines of DPHD, IDPH and ISBE.

In the Return to Learn update, Superintendent Bridges reviewed the goals and guiding principles. He reviewed the framework and reminded the community that we are in Stage 1.

In Stage 1, Staff are to learn and understand the health and safety guidelines within the building. Want teachers and staff to understand the signage and procedures.

Positive feedback and changes made to help the youngest students.

We are listening to the concerns and using this feedback as we move into stage 2.

Metrics used by DCHD were reviewed. CDC guidelines from last week to help open schools

Those guidelines are being reviewed in order to guide us as we move between stages.

We are currently working to expand the number of students who will be coming into the building. Preparing for consistent in person learning for EC-2 students.

Beginning in mid-October, we will begin having students EC-2 in buildings and adding students and grade levels as the weeks go on. For those students not returning to the building, we will continue to support them in eLearning. Students will be able to access the buildings for a quiet space to learn or if they need a more stable internet connection.

A parent/guardian survey that will ask you to evaluate eLearning in stage 1 will be sent following this meeting.

An executive summary is included in BoardDocs.

Board Questions/Comments:

President Fitzgerald thanked the audience members for staying. I am sorry that not all of the speakers were able to stay all the way through. We understand how frustrating and difficult this has been for many families particularly those with our youngest learners. We have heard you and we hear your passion.

Will there be any form of appeal process for parents or students who you do not classify as priority?

Superintendent Bridges asked if the inquiry was about grades 6-12. He noted that EC-5 students would be prioritized to allow students who are ready to return to return while maintaining online instruction for those who choose not to return. Right now, we do not plan to have an appeal process for grades 6-12. Those grade levels will continue as elearning with the exception of those brought in for labs or performance based classes or those who would benefit most from in person instruction.

Happy to see that EC-5 to be prioritized. Will that be a hybrid model and if not, is there actually room for appropriate distance if everyone returns?

Assistant Superintendent Jayne Willard stated that we are currently looking at the hybrid model from July and tweaking to get the most students in. We are working with educators to think about what it really looks like. We have a good plan; we just want to finalize some of the details. Superintendent Bridges added that it would be partially determined by the numbers from the survey.

Can you share some of the things we have learned that are informing how we are managing our practiced around how we return in subsequent stages? What is determining how we move from stage to stage?

Mrs. Willard noted that we are gathering feedback from parents and teachers. What is working and what is not. We have also received feedback as to what needs in person learning.

Superintendent Bridges added that feedback from teachers and parents in EC-5 has made us make them a priority.

Can you tell us how many students have we brought back so far in the past three weeks?

Dr. Igoe responded that those decisions are made individually based on IEP teams. While I do not have an exact number, we have had students in each building beginning the second week of school. Students are brought in two to three students at a time. We have had around 25-30 students brought in. That is a guess on my part as different students are brought in from day to day.

At the last meeting, it was asked about a COVID 19 dashboard. Can you talk about what our thinking is these days on if and how we will provide that kind of information?

Dr. Igoe stated that we are continuing to look into that. There are pros as regards to transparency but there are also cons, as it requires that students are reporting to us. Numbers would not be that accurate, as they would need to be because some will not report due to HIPPA laws. We could only have on a dashboard the numbers that have been reported to us.

Are we still at the thinking about it point in terms of having a dashboard?

Dr. Igoe noted that we are continuing to understand how a dashboard could be helpful.

Superintendent Bridges stated that if we publish a dashboard it has to provide relevant and useful information.

The plan in stage 2 transition the priority EC-2 then phase in grades 3-5 as a whole and not just certain students in grades 3-5, correct?

Superintendent Bridges responded that is correct.

YMCA and Champions programs have a number of students. What have we learned from that? Assistant Superintendent Chuck Freundt noted that school looks different with social distancing. We have to make sure that we are bringing students back slowly as there have been some of the emotional toll and that is why we are prioritizing EC-2. Level of support from YMCA and Champions is really supervision and assistance. We cannot measure level of achievement. The level of socialization is different from what it was pre COVID.

As we are talking about transitioning the EC-2 students, will it look like that where the desks are separated? What will it look like? Will the level of interaction be different from what we are used to?

Superintendent Bridges noted that the level of interaction would not be the same as pre COVID. We will still be adhering to the guidelines from IDPH and ISBE as it relates to masks, hand washing and social distancing.

Dr. Igoe you said about 30 students have returned to buildings. Do you mean per building?

Dr Igoe responded that about 30 students per building. About 1% of our students have IEP’s and those students have been or will be coming in over the next four to six weeks.

Would like to clarify all EC-5 students who would like to return to in person learning would have the opportunity to by the end of Stage 2?

Superintendent Bridges responded that the numbers of families who say they will send their students back to the building would determine the schedule. We are looking at a number of scheduling options. Would like to have the community to work with us to have patience. Have the right people to develop these plans and the community needs to be fully vested in these plans. That way we can do it right.

Nothing replaces in person learning. Gradual process takes patience. Metrics we are using will allow us to move into in person learning in mid-October unless there is a shutdown by the Governor or DuPage County, correct?

Superintendent Bridges reminded the community and the Board that we have to hit enough of the DuPage County metrics to stay in the category that allows for in person learning. Based on current metrics, we are on track to transition to Stage 2.

There are many metrics from several departments that have to be followed and met in order to return to in person instruction.

What changes in classrooms and buildings have been made to prepare for students to return? Mrs. Willard stated that changes and preparation have been happening all summer. All building leaders have walked their buildings to see how they can follow the guidelines. How many students can be put in a classroom, signage, mask wearing, social distancing one-way hallways. We have created mock classrooms to be able to see what a classroom can look like and how many students can be place in one.

Stage 1 has been a time for teachers and staff to figure out the safety needs in classrooms and buildings and how they will implement them with students.

Dr. Igoe noted that all of our desks are six feet apart and facing the same directions there are hygiene stations at each classroom. We have taken an inventory of PPE so we can support anyone who does not have any. Teachers are also taking an inventory of those items that have been shared in the past so that we can either get additional items or use something different.

Can you review what in person instruction will look like when we return?

Mrs. Willard responded that students would not be clustered. Desks will be six feet apart and they will have their own supplies for math, guided reading. Students will have their own space. This is why we want to phase this in with the little ones, as it will be different for them. These logistics have been discussed and put into place.

Collaborative learning has to be done in Zoom rooms-how will teachers get those small collaborative groups.

Mrs. Willard noted that we are creating many different plans to meet the needs of many students. Teachers know what is best online vs what is best in person.

We are talking about starting right after Parent Teacher Conferences for EC-2 and our format will be determined based on the survey results.

Superintendent Bridges stated that we are looking to begin the week of October 12 with October 12 being a remote planning day. The actual bringing in of students may not occur until the week of October 19 with some acclimation at least happening the week of October 12.

Is the survey just for EC-2 or is it being sent to all families?

Survey will be sent to families of all students. Want to know what has worked and what has not so we have an idea as to what or how we need to improve eLearning in case we have to go back to full eLearning.

Will the survey give the families of 6-12 a way to understand how they are prioritized?

Superintendent Bridges noted that we would follow up later. We have made this decision based on survey data. Once we have that data, we will finalize the details of the plan and ask families to commit at that time.

Is it going to be clear that we are asking if families are comfortable sending their students in for Stage 2? It is different to ask if they are comfortable sending their student for labs or performance classes.

Assistant Superintendent Patrick responded that the survey is written generically, we are asking for an overall response. We are asking parents to do one survey for each child.

What are we learning from other districts who already have been back to school at the elementary level?

Superintendent Bridges noted that each school district is in a unique position. Each district has different numbers of students. Biggest lesson learned is the priority for EC-5 students.

Dr. Igoe added that parents are self-certifying and students will have temperatures taken upon entering the building. Any student who presents with a temperature will be rescreened to be sure it is not activity induced. We will continue to remind families what the symptoms are.

Can we reassure our families that eLearning will remain in place thru stage 4?

Superintendent Bridges noted that eLearning would only be in place thru the end of Stage 3, not Stage 4. Exact details will depend on the numbers of students who chose in person. We are looking at a number of technological solutions that will allow synchronous instruction to occur.

Will D203 be doing COVID tests in school buildings?

Superintendent Bridges reported that we are exploring it with local health agencies and other private industries. DCHD is also exploring some things. We do not have a plan nor have we made a decision on whether or not we will do so.

Will you be looking at and monitoring schools individually in terms of positivity rates? Could different schools have different plans?

Superintendent Bridges commented that we work collaboratively with the DCHD and we will follow their guidance.

Dr. Igoe added that we would report daily the number of students who are reporting symptoms or positive cases. The DCHD will help us with what we do based on the numbers.

Do you see all EC-2 schools opening the same way or varied based on survey.

Superintendent Bridges stated that our intent at this time is that decisions will be made at each level and not at each building.

Will students who stay online, will they have an opportunity to collaborate with students who are in the classroom?

Mrs. Willard stated that we are working on ways to allow for that collaborating and social emotional connection.

Makes sense to focus on younger students but hearing that older students are struggling emotionally. Can you talk about any tools or resources that we can have to help them cope or if there are people in the schools, parents or students can contact to help support these students?

Mrs. Willard responded that for grades 6-12 Counselors, Deans and Social Workers are working with teachers on engagement. They are following up with any students who are having issues.

Dr. Igoe added that if parents have concerns they should reach out to counselors to start that process. As we move into stage 2, do we have plans to move quickly back into a different stage? Superintendent Bridges stated that unless there is an executive order as was done last March, we would have sufficient time for us to be able to transition between stages.

Is there a metric or set of metrics that if we fall below that parent can know or anticipate change in stage?

Dr. Igoe noted that it depends on how many cases and how many close contacts. Whether we can attribute the spread is happening within a classroom or at an event that happened off campus. Anything that can help parents know metrics that may drive decisions will be helpful. Superintendent Bridges noted that contained in the Executive Summary is a link to the DCHD supplementary guidance. That would be the best indicator of the trends regarding the metrics that we are using.

In regards to Self-certification, are there any plans to give resources to help parents understand the symptoms?

Dr. Igoe noted that we would continue to send the same message. We have to think twice about the symptoms and how we respond to symptoms that in the past we have pushed through.

How do students get into the buildings if they are having connectivity issues or just need a change of scenery?

Assistant Superintendent Stephanie Posey responded that Secondary principals are working to get their buildings open for students who are having those issues. They will be increasing who is being prioritized.

Would kids have to qualify for that?

Mrs. Posey stated that the building staff would prioritize students who were known to not have been able to engage at a satisfactory level.

Cannot just drop in?

Mrs. Posey stated, no, we have to manage the buildings and numbers.

In the spring, the message was that building and public spaces were not safe. Does staff feel more comfortable?

Mrs. Willard stated that parking lots are filled with teachers, as they are feeling good about being in the classrooms. Principals are saying that the majority of staff are working from the buildings. We wanted staff to feel comfortable so they can welcome students.

Thank you for all that you are doing. There is clearly a lot going on. In regards to communications, what can parents expect going forward?

Superintendent Bridges noted that a lot of the communication would be coming from the district office.. As we begin to transition there will be more communication from building principals. Parents can anticipate a message that we will be moving to stage 2 next week. COVID webpage on the website will still be the clearinghouse for information.

It is important for the community to understand how different opening a school is from opening a restaurant or grocery store. How different is the interaction between teachers and students Superintendent Bridges responded that so much in a classroom is relationship based. Interactions will have to be planned. The sharing of supplies and resources will be different. Desks will be spaced 6 feet apart and facing the same direction. Masks will have to be worn. Restaurants are large spaces where there is limited interaction between staff and patron.

Mrs. Willard added that teachers would have to think about how they create relationships. Teachers are making a SEL a high priority. Teachers are the experts and will come up with the best ideas to make it the best in person learning experience for students.

Flow chart for what support will families have as it relates to contract tracing. We will need to educate families understand when to isolate or quarantine.

Dr. Igoe responded that we walk families thru the process when they call in with symptoms or if they have traveled. We can add it to the COVID website so they can have access to it often.

What kind of assessment are you doing with our teachers to be able to assess which students will be a priority as well as how parents if they have an emotional concern or an academic concern regarding their student get feedback?

Mrs. Posey stated that at both the junior high and high schools have done some things to transition students to new buildings. We have done that with 9th graders outside at both High Schools. 6th graders have done some virtual things and will do some in person things in stage 2.Buildings are looking at attendance, engagement. Socialization is important at all levels and buildings are looking actively to create activities both virtually and in person. If parents have academic concerns, reach out to teacher to see what support for SEL they should reach out to counselor or Social Worker.

Can you talk a little about if you have students coming in for a lab or a class, how would that work for them for the rest of their day with transportation?

Mrs. Posey remarked that that is tricky but we are working collaborative to work with especially those classes that are graduation requirements. Teachers can work together to have some asynchronous work to make up for anything they may have missed. Students will not be marked tardy. Students will have an area in the buildings to wait for transportation and to work asynchronously or on Zoom.

For students who are already coming into the building, how does it change in stage 2?

Dr. Igoe responded that they would come in minimally in some type of a hybrid situation.

Student Ambassador Shay Doshi- noted that at the high school transportation is a big issue. Will we be able to guarantee that students have transportation?

Superintendent Bridges noted that any student eligible for transportation would receive it.

What are attendance rates and are we seeing any fluctuations in attendance. Will some of those students not attending be in the priority groups?

Mrs. Posey stated that those will be some of the metrics that are used. Attendance at both the junior high and high school levels have been high.

In the presentation, you mentioned a couple of metrics around the substitute pool and PPE accessibility. Can you comment on the substitute pool level and PPE inventory?

Chief Human Resources Officer Bob Ross stated that we have 10% fewer subs this year than last year, similar to districts around us. We are working hard to make sure that sub pool is as big as it can be.

Dr. Igoe remarked that PPE is currently in our buildings. We are continuing to monitor that. It is not known how quickly we will go thru it and how quickly we have to replace it. Bigger concerns are around the medical type supplies like N95 masks and isolation gowns. We will have to get kids back in school to see how quickly we use the supplies we have.

Is it easier to order it now?

Dr. Igoe added that we could get all basic PPE with no problems or concerns. N95 masks are a problem for us to receive. We may have a harder time if there is a spike in cases.

For families working on this decision in terms of are they comfortable in returning their students, where would you direct them to get a response.

Superintendent Bridges asked the community to give us a general sense of if they want to return. Any specific questions, they should ask at the building level.

Superintendent Bridges thanked the parents who spoke this evening and those who stayed for the meeting He acknowledged educators. Many parents this evening thanked their educators for the phenomenal job they have been doing. Thanked parents again for their advocacy for their children.

President Fitzgerald thanked the community for continuing to express their thoughts and sharing the concerns, questions, feedback and positive experiences. We consistently hear about the wonderful job that our educators are doing. Keep advocating for your students, as this is what is helping us as a school district.

Annual Administrator and Teacher Salary Report

School Code in the state of Illinois requires school districts report Administrator and Teacher salary and benefits to the Board of Education by October 1 of each year.

Board Questions/Comments:

None.

President’s Report

President Fitzgerald noted that School Board election packets are available online at the DuPage County Board of Elections. The school board election will be held on April 6, 2021. The first day to circulate petitions would be September 22, 2020 and will be due to be filed December 14-22, 2020.

President Fitzgerald also wanted to discuss who our delegate to the Illinois Association of School Boards Delegate assembly would be. There is a registration process this year so we want to be sure we get our delegate registered. My recommendation would be Joe Kozminski as he was the sponsor of our resolution and presented it to the resolution committee.

The other members of the Board agreed with that recommendation and will approve him as the delegate at the next Board of Education meeting.

Board of Education Report

None

Discussion without Action

None

Discussion with Action

Old Business: 

None

New Business 

None

Upcoming Events

Superintendent Bridges made note of the following upcoming events:

 October 5 will be the next Board of Education meeting

 October 12 will be a remote planning day-no synchronous instruction

Adjournment

Charles Cush moved seconded by Kristine Gericke to adjourn the meeting at 9:51 p.m. A roll call vote was taken. Those voting yes: Fitzgerald, Wandke, Gericke, Yang Rohr, Leong, Kozminski and Cush.

https://www.naperville203.org/cms/lib/IL01904881/Centricity/Domain/732/BOE%20Open%20Session%20Minutes%20September%2021%202020.pdf