Leyden High Schools will not be resuming in class classroom learning as originally scheduled on April 7, 2020, due to a statewide shut down of all schools. Leyden High Schools will resume their E-Learning days commencing on April 6, 2020. Further information will be distributed by SD 212 to the students and the parents of the District. This will also apply to all of the other grammar and high schools in Leyden and Norwood Park Township; in fact the entire State of Illinois school system will begin Remote Learning Days for all schools statewide commencing on March 31, 2020, or whenever they are slated to return from Spring Break, and continuing until in person instruction it has been determined can resume.
In my blog article on March 24, 2020, I advised everyone that the resumption of classes on April 7th for the Leyden High Schools was highly unlikely, see my link to that story
Illinois State Board of Education: ‘Very real possibility’ school closure will be extended beyond March 30——And Possibly Beyond……………….
Even though they are not stating it at this time, it is now clear and extremely doubtful that classes will not resume until August, 2020 for the beginning of the next school year.
The Illinois State Board of Education has been stating that this will not obstruct the graduation of seniors and every effort will be made that the high school seniors will be able to earn their diplomas.
MORE INFORMATION IN THE LETTER POSTED BELOW FROM THE ILLINOIS STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION, SUPERINTENDENT:
You will see below the letter that has been distributed by the Illinois State Board of Education.
I have declared that Remote Learning Days will begin for schools statewide on March 31 and continue until in-person instruction can resume. Please continue to send any questions you have to COVID19@isbe.net. During Remote Learning Days, schools may implement either an E-Learning Plan or a Remote Learning Day Plan that provides students with instruction and access to educators through whatever means possible. Schools may use up to five Remote Learning Planning Days at any time after March 30 to work on Remote Learning Day Plans in partnership with their collective bargaining units. Remote Learning Days, Remote Learning Planning Days, and Act of God Days count as actual student attendance days. All of these days count toward the minimum length of the school year and absolutely do not need to be made up. View ISBE’s emergency rules for Remote Learning Days at http://www.isbe.net/Documents/23-5RG-E.pdf. Over the past week, ISBE convened a Remote Learning Advisory Group of teachers, students, paraprofessionals, related service personnel, principals, and district and regional superintendents to make recommendations to support educators, students, and families during Remote Learning Days. The recommendations provide overarching best practices for instruction, grading, communication, social-emotional needs, content selection and delivery, family engagement, and other important concerns, as well as specific guidance for different grade bands, English Learners, and students with disabilities. I am deeply grateful to the 63 members of our Remote Learning Advisory Group for giving their time and their expertise to help ISBE and schools across the state navigate a new way of teaching, learning, and caring for our students. View the Remote Learning Recommendations at www.isbe.net/Documents/RL-Recommendations-3-27-20.pdf.
The Remote Learning Recommendations strongly encourage that school districts’ local grading policies during Remote Learning Days embrace the principle of “no educational harm to any child” and that school districts adopt grading models of pass or incomplete.The Recommendations state that “Grading should focus on the continuation of learning and prioritize the connectedness and care for students and staff. All students should have the opportunity to redo, make up, or try again to complete, show progress, or attempt to complete work assigned prior to the remote learning period in that time frame. A focus on keeping children emotionally and physically safe, fed, and engaged in learning should be our first priority during this unprecedented time.” ISBE has partnered with other agencies and advocates to provide additional clarity on other key topics. ISBE released joint guidance with the Illinois Board of Higher Education and Illinois Community College Board to advise secondary and postsecondary institutions in Illinois on supporting and accommodating students who are enrolled in dual credit courses during the suspension of in-person instruction. View this guidance at http://www.isbe.net/Documents/Joint-DualCredit-Guidance-During-Suspension-of-In-Person-Instruction.pdf. ISBE also met with the Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois Education Association, Illinois Association of School Administrators, and Illinois Principals Association to update our joint guidance regarding pay and work at http://www.isbe.net/Documents/Joint-Statement-Updated%20327-20.pdf. Additionally, Governor JB Pritzker’s Executive Order 2020-15, issued today, suspends state assessments for spring 2020, including the Constitution exam. This action officially ends assessment activity statewide for the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, Illinois Science Assessment, SAT, and Dynamic Learning Maps-Alternate Assessment for the 2019-20 school year. We recognize that the free SAT provided by the state is the only opportunity many students get to take a college entrance exam. ISBE is working with the College Board on developing options to allow current 11th grade students to take the SAT in the fall. ISBE has refreshed its comprehensive guidance document with all of this information, as well as updated guidance on driver’s education, nutrition, flexibility in expending grant funds, and Early Childhood Block Grant recipients providing child care to the children of essential workers. View the comprehensive guidance at http://www.isbe.net/Documents/FAQ-3-27-20.pdf I know this is not the way that any of us envisioned this school year going. But I continue to be awed by the phenomenal creativity, resilience, empathy, and problem-solving prowess of Illinois’ educators, administrators, and students. The stories I see every day on social media, in the news, and in my email show me just how focused our educators are on supporting our children in this time of crisis.
A story that appeared this week in a Springfield newspaper highlighted the ways teachers from preK to AP calculus are engaging with their students through remote learning. One middleschool teacher even called every family on the phone to check in. Her name happens to be Jill Friday.
Like you, we are eager for life to return to normal, but keeping our communities safe must be our shared priority at this time. I am confident we will get through this together. And once this pandemic is past, we will certainly savor football games, choir concerts, and Fridays even more.
Sincerely,
Dr. Carmen I. Ayala
State Superintendent of Education
Illinois State Board of Education
State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala has declared that Remote Learning Days will begin for schools statewide on March 31 and continue until in-person instruction can resume. Learn more about Remote Learning Days at https://www.isbe.net/Documents/ISBE-Remote-Learning-Days-Begin-March-31.pdf.
During Remote Learning Days, schools may implement either an E-Learning Plan or a Remote Learning Day Plan that provides students with instruction and access to educators through whatever means possible. View ISBE’s emergency rules at http://www.isbe.net/Documents/23-5RG-E.pdf.
Schools may use five Remote Learning Planning Days at any time after March 30 to plan in partnership with collective bargaining units. Act of God Days, Remote Learning Days & Remote Learning Planning Days count as student attendance days and absolutely do not need to be made up.
ISBE convened a Remote Learning Advisory Group of teachers, students, paraprofessionals, related service personnel, principals, and district/regional superintendents to make recommendations during Remote Learning Days. View the recommendations at https://www.isbe.net/Documents/RL-Recommendations-3-27-20.pdf.
The Remote Learning Recommendations strongly encourage that school districts’ local grading policies during Remote Learning Days embrace the principle of “no educational harm to any child” & that school districts adopt grading models of pass or incomplete.
We are deeply grateful to the 63 members of the Remote Learning Advisory Group for giving their time and their expertise to help ISBE and schools across the state navigate a new way of teaching, learning, and caring for our students!
ISBE, IBHE, and ICCB issued guidance to advise secondary and postsecondary institutions in Illinois on supporting and accommodating students who are enrolled in dual credit courses: http://www.isbe.net/Documents/Joint-Dual-Credit-Guidance-During-Suspension-of-In-Person-Instruction.pdf
ISBE, IFT, IEA, IASA, and IPA updated our joint guidance regarding pay and work during the suspension of in-person instruction. View the guidance at https://www.isbe.net/Documents/Joint-Statement-Updated%203-27-20.pdf.
Governor JB Pritzker’s Executive Order 2020-15 suspends state assessments for spring 2020, including the Constitution exam. This action officially ends assessment activity statewide for the IAR, ISA, SAT, and DLM-AA. View the EO at https://www.isbe.net/Documents/EO2020-15.pdf.
ISBE recognizes that the free SAT provided by the state is the only opportunity many students get to take a college entrance exam. ISBE is working with the College Board on developing options to allow current 11th grade students to take the SAT in the fall.
ISBE has refreshed its comprehensive guidance document. Look for new info on Remote Learning Days, driver’s education, nutrition, flexibility in grant funds, and ECBG recipients providing child care to children of essential workers. View the guidance at https://www.isbe.net/Documents/FAQ-3-27-20.pdf.
We know this is not the way that any of us envisioned this school year going. But we continue to be awed by your phenomenal creativity, resilience, empathy, and problem-solving prowess. The stories we see every day on social media and in the news inspire and motivate us 💪.
Roy F. McCampbell's Blog 
So What Could a Virtual Graduation Look Like at Leyden High Schools in May, 2020 ? This is Something We As a Community Need to Embrace to Make the Graduation Meaningful for All.
High schools in Illinois including Leyden Highs Schools will not be able to hold traditional graduation ceremonies in May because of advice from health experts to limit crowds in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, as well as evolving federal, state and local government directives.
The Illinois school districts will instead most likely host virtual celebrations in late May. Leyden Highs Schools should look for an in-person celebration in early August if crowds are allowed to gather by then.
The fact that traditional ceremonies cannot proceed does not diminish the “incredible accomplishment and milestone that all of the graduating eighth graders and high school seniors reached this spring.”
As a parent, I want you to know how disappointed we all are that this year must be different for everyones’ health and safety.
Given the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, holding a virtual commencement is in the best interest of our students and their families.
The virtual ceremony can include the same elements of an in-person one, like prerecorded speeches from the School District 212 Superintendent, the Principals as well as the planned student speeches. Every student can have their name called in the livestreamed event.
Leyden High School should hope to plan events to celebrate the class of 2020 once gatherings are allowed, it is still too early to tell what that would look like.
Too much is up in the air. We don’t know for certain if any of the schools can have classes on our their campuses in the fall.
No one is really sure how we’ll transition back to normal, or when.”
Everyone agrees that an in-person commencement can’t happen in May.
But even the opportunity to walk in the fall or next spring would be better than nothing.
Leyden High Schools should put up a commencement page; putting a comments section on its commencement page to seek student input on what the virtual ceremony should look like. The District 212 leadership should seek ideas for creative ways to celebrate the graduates as part of and leading up to the virtual commencement ceremonies.
Leyden High Schools should solicit ideas for creative ways to celebrate our graduates as part of and leading up to the virtual commencement ceremonies.
The sooner Leyden High Schools acknowledge that the in person graduation in May is being cancelled, the more meaningful planning can be launched with graduating student input as well as the greater community in general.
This input process should be embarked upon by all of the school districts in Leyden, Norwood Park and Maine Townships for a meaningful virtual commencement ceremony.
A great well to launch such a planning process would be for Leyden High Schools to launch a commencement website with an East and West Leyden Town Hall Meetings.
We should not be disappointed, sad and grieving for 8th graders and seniors in the area townships. We don’t want anyone afterwards saying: “We should have done better.”
Everyone should be looking at ways of celebrating students that would be unique to our communities, and this should be communicated to students in coming weeks.
I am crushed the high school students’ senior year has been disrupted. I understand how hard it was for the students to leave campus early, just as spring began, when so many rites of passage seemed near. I also understand that all of the students have been looking forward to what will likely be for some their one and only graduation.
It is critical that everyone in the community show support for this important milestone.
Another thought would be to hold an in-person ceremony for the graduating students and their guests at a Leyden Reunions 2021. The ceremony during next year when alum hold their reunions, making such a reunion nothing short of spectacular.
Whatever the final look of the virtual graduation or a series of activities to commemorate the 2020 graduates it must emanate from input from the seniors, parents of seniors and faculty of the school districts.
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