The Examiner U-46 News Feed

U-46 in-school classes cancelled for rest of term

By Seth Hancock
  In the words of Alice Cooper: “School’s out forever.”
  Well, at least for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year that is after Gov. JB Pritzker’s latest edict on Friday, April 17 that suspended all in-school classes at public and private schools across the state through the rest of the school year in response to COVID-19, a foreign-born strain of the coronavirus.
  School District U-46 Superintendent Tony Sanders announced the closure in the district that same day as well as stating the online classes, or distance learning, will continue.
  “While we all may have expected this decision, I know that it’s still difficult,” Sanders wrote. “We miss our students, we miss our colleagues, we miss all the athletic and fine arts events, the ceremonies and celebrations that are part of spring. We miss in-person classroom time.”
  Sanders added: “The Governor also has issued several Executive Orders related to graduation requirements, teacher licensure, among others. We will be reviewing those orders in the coming days to determine how we will proceed in U-46. We also need to review if Board policies will need to be amended. As such, do not expect any immediate decisions as we sort out the proclamations and the impact they will have.”
  Graduation ceremonies for seniors are still being planned, but are being rescheduled. Tentatively, graduation is scheduled to take place at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates on Saturday, July 11 “pending health recommendations and guidance,” according to Sanders.
  Athletics directors and principals at district high schools have delivered yard signs to seniors to recognize them as their senior activities, like prom and sports, have been cancelled.
  The Illinois High School Association (IHSA), which governs high school athletics, had stated the intent to have a shortened spring season while Pritzker’s authoritarian orders were still scheduled to be lifted on May 1, but after the April 17 action the IHSA released a statement saying “the cessation of in-person learning will make it difficult for the IHSA to conduct spring state tournaments this year.”
  Sanders also stated that over 500,000 taxpayer funded meals have been distributed by the district since the shutdown began. Those meals include breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as snacks to any student as well as to parents who do not need to have a child with them when taking the meals.
  Pritzker first shutdown a majority of both public and private activity on March 13 with plans to lift the orders on March 30 which was extended to April 7 and then the end of April.

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