Over the past six months the United States has created a new normal. Face masks, standing six feet apart, social distancing, virtual classes, and two week quarantines have become part of students’ normalcy. This past spring, school systems all over the world converted to virtual learning in order to keep students, teachers, and families safe from the spread of COVID-19. After Chicago moved out of the stay at home order at the end of March, Parker families had high hopes for schools to reopen in person in the fall. Due to the varying number of students and different amounts of space in each building, schools all around the Chicagoland area have created their own plan to return.

Parker announced that the Upper School will be conducting classes remotely, while the Middle, Intermediate, and Lower Schools will be learning on campus. Many Parker parents are disappointed that the current school plan instead of the one announced on July 10, all grade levels would return full time.  

Private and public schools in Chicago, as well as those in the suburbs of the Chicagoland area have varying approaches for the fall semester. Another private school in Chicago, The Latin School of Chicago, is taking a different approach than Parker is. As of August 4th, grades kindergarten through 8th grade will be going back to school through half-days and a hybrid schedule. Grades 9-12, however, will be conducting classes entirely online, though administrators have mentioned possible opportunities for students to be on campus. The Latin’s ‘Return to Learning Plan’ states: “Beginning on Tuesday, September 8, we plan to invite partial grade level cohorts (less than half a grade level at a time) on a regular basis into our first and second floor spaces in order to receive individual and small group support as a supplement to remote instruction, collaborate and connect with peers, and engage in grade-level community programming,” the plan read. “Accordingly, we are designing a plan for partial grade level cohorts to visit campus regularly throughout the 8-day cycle.”

The Chicago Public School system announced that all grades will start the year virtually rather than the original hybrid that was initially discussed. CPS announced this plan is for the first quarter. 

Beni Chavarria, rising sophomore at the British School of Chicago, another private school in Chicago, says “We are going back full time because our school is so small.” With only 670 students attending the British School, they will try and make it as normal as possible. 

Saint Ignatius, a private Catholic school in Chicago, has developed a hybrid model that allows their 1,300 student body to be on campus two days a week. Their “Back to Campus” plan states that “freshman and sophomores will be in school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and juniors and seniors will be in school on Thursdays and Fridays.” Their 21 page guide includes schedules, etiquette for e-learning, attendance procedures, health and safety screening, campus facilities explanation, lunch guidelines, athletics, as well as their mission.  

The suburban schools will be approaching this fall a little differently than CPS and other Chicago private schools. New Trier, a 4,000 student high school in Winnetka, plans to start the school year with remote learning then transition into a hybrid solution, with the plan of having all students and teachers fully back in classrooms. By the middle of October, New Trier’s goal is to have 25% of the students back in classrooms. New Trier has a six step plan to reopen their classrooms. 

Step one consists of remote learning with limited extracurricular participation. All the students will be learning from home and the teachers will be teaching from home. Grading and assessments will be in effect. The essential workers will be on campus. Limited extracurricular activities may be held virtually or in person. Limited athletic participation may be held in accordance with IHSA guidelines. Step two is described as: “Remote Learning with Teachers on Campus, Limited Extracurricular Participation”

This step is almost the same as step one except some of the teachers will be teaching from classrooms and other teachers will continue to teach from home. Step three is building to a hybrid model with a slow transition to allow students back on campus. Based on need (e.g. Special Education, 504, ELL, or social-emotional), 10-25% of students will be learning in-person on campus. All other students will be learning from home. They will start implementing some extracurricular activities with limited in-person interactions. Athletics will continue to be based on what IHSA guidelines say. Step four is the hybrid plan. It’s the same as step three but they will increase to 25% of the students back on campus. They will allow students to be back on campus using a rotation system that the school came up with. During step five they will increase the number of students learning in person to 50%. The last step is a full reopening of the school.  

Lake Forest High School’s original plan was to implement the hybrid model. That was soon changed and a reopening update was sent out to all District 115 Families. “Yesterday morning in a unanimous vote, the Lake Forest Community High School District 115 Board of Education approved the District’s updated reopening plan for the 2020-2021 school year,” the update read. “Following a remote start for all students, the District 115 plan transitions into an e-hybrid schedule with options for in-school and remote learning for students.”

Lake Forest plans on gradually having their students return back to school. On August 5, Lake Forest High School announced that they plan to continue with e-learning until September 11. On September 14 they will be shifting into their e-hybrid schedule, which will be organized alphabetically and have students attend school in-person either Monday and Tuesday or Thursday and Friday.

Although Lake Forest High School is offering this e-hybrid schedule, parents and students have the option to decide whether to take part in the e-hybrid from home or on campus. Families who choose to participate in the onsite e-hybrid plan will commit to that plan for all of the first semester and must send in a doctor’s note. Students who choose not to participate will engage in e-learning instead.

Glenbrook High Schools sent out an email to all students attending these schools stating that they would start the fall semester with an e-learning plan, beginning August 19.

“Assessments will be delivered, due dates will be enforced, grades will count, and attendance will be taken,” the email said. Step two includes e-learning with gradual return to the classroom and step three is AM/PM hybrid, where students will attend classes onsite 50% of the time and continue with e-learning the other 50% of the time. Students will attend their classes either in the morning or afternoon depending on their alphabetical group assignment. The last step includes all students attending in person classes everyday.