Hybrid learning for students at Homewood-Flossmoor High School is scheduled to begin March 2. Staff will return Feb. 22. A special orientation for students who have not attended H-F before is scheduled for Feb. 20.
During a special board meeting Wednesday, Feb. 3, the District 233 school board listened to a 45-minute presentation on how staff have worked to prepare for students to be back in the buildings.
Only 33 percent of the nearly 2,800 enrolled students will be coming to campus. The remainder of the student body will continue with remote learning. The school board had looked at a start date of Feb. 16, but the new date will give more staff members a chance to get vaccinated against COVID-19. To date, more than 50% of the 225 staff surveyed said they had gotten the first shot and another 28% were in the process of scheduling a time to be vaccinated.
Students attending H-F will be divided into four groups – A, B, C and D. They will learn their assigned group on Feb. 12. Mondays will be remote instruction. Tuesday-Wednesday will be group A, Thursday-Friday will be group B. The following week Monday will be remote instruction. Tuesday-Wednesday will be Group C and Thursday-Friday will be Group D. This schedule gives students two days on campus over a two-week period.
Students will only attend classes in the mornings. Afternoon sessions will be asynchronous.
It is expected that one to eight students will be in a classroom, and seats will be designated so students can socially distance. Administrators said they may merge the four groups into two groups as teachers and administrators adjust to the hybrid schedule. If the change is made, students would be on campus two days a week.
The schedule allows for an additional week of remote learning following spring break the week of March 29. That extra week is meant to give students and staff extra time to meet quarantine restrictions in the event they traveled or were with people outside their family unit.
Representatives of the 18-member Steering Committee outlined their plans for instructional design, scheduling, logistics, staff and student wellness, and transition from remote to hybrid. The Steering Committee represents 43 teachers and staff who have been working since June as a School Planning Committee.
Administrators outlined the various precautions they will have in place, including student self-certification for wellness done at home. Students will show the certification to get on a bus, or if they drive or are dropped off at school, they will show the certification to enter the building. All students will have their temperature taken upon entering the building. Mask compliance and social distancing are critical to making H-F a safe environment for all, Principal Jerry Anderson said.
COVID-19 statistics show the South Suburbs are “well within where we want to be for a positivity rate,” she said, as are other guidelines set by the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Public Health. H-F COVID-19 statistics are on the school’s website https://www.hfhighschool.org/.
School nurses are trained on what to do if a student shows signs of COVID, and the necessary contact tracing will be done. Tom Wagner, director of buildings and grounds, said interior classrooms will get air purifiers. He believes the ventilation system is in good working order.
Member Debbie Berman asked Superintendent Von Mansfield to extend a special thanks from the board to all staff members who have been “working incredibly hard” at designing and adjusting plans.
Board president Steve Anderson said H-F is “listening to the science.” Although some neighboring schools opened, the administrative team and the board agreed to start the school year remotely. He said the ultimate goal is to have students in school, and he applauded staff for their work on this latest plan.
“No plan will appease everyone,” Anderson said. He encouraged parents and students to take the time to answer H-F surveys so their concerns about a return to school can be heard and addressed.