Unit 40 Curriculum Committee Works on School Opening Strategy

The school year is to begin next month, but many decisions still need to be finalized as districts prepare for a COVID-19 world.

Members of the Effingham Unit 40 Curriculum Committee held a Zoom meeting Monday morning to review what plans need to be made. Part of the planning is complicated by a need for the Illinois State Board of Education to finalize their own guidelines, and they are hampered by the changing numbers of COVID cases. 

Then, administrators are trying to make plans that comply with those state directives, and school boards have their own concerns. Meanwhile, teachers are wondering what sort of world they'll be working in as they try to get ready for students.

It all makes for a fluid situation, with final guidelines still needed as far as classroom setup, cleaning, transportation, lunchrooms and, oh yes, masks. The consensus at Monday's meeting was that masks are required by the State so students will need to wear them unless they're medically unable to do so. If they don't, remote learning may be their only option.

There were concerns raised during Monday's meeting about special needs students who some feel won't be able to comply with the mask directive.

It's one of many matters to be addressed. Effingham High School Principal Kurt Roberts said, "We're not in a stable situation. We need to plan for less COVID cases, but we also need to plan for more COVID cases including, 'what if we have to go completely remote'?"

Unit 40 Superintendent Mark Doan said the district will be getting out more information as early as Monday to hopefully answer some questions.