The Examiner U-46 News FeedU-46 driver’s education nixed for 2020-21 year By Seth Hancock
School District U-46 has cancelled driver’s education for the 2020-2021 school year citing the inability to do so over the COVID-19 shutdown. Additionally, the district updated families on grading during its “distance learning.”
In a May 15 statement from Lela Majstorovic, assistant superintendent for secondary schools, she wrote that over 2,100 hour of behind-the-wheel instruction was left incomplete for the current semester since schools were shutdown on March 13 under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s orders.
Majstorovic stated that the district is making determinations on how to make up those hours for current students while announcing the cancellation of driver’s education next year.
“All new Driver’s Ed offerings for the 2020-21 school year are cancelled, effective immediately,” Majstorovic wrote. “With no way to meet the requirement of six hours behind the wheel instruction per student, per semester, we cannot deliberately continue to enroll students in a course that will not result in license attainment.”
Majstorovic added: “We know that this is not good news, but we wanted to make you aware as soon as possible so that students who had enrolled can be scheduled for an alternative class or a study hall. School counselors will be reaching out to affected students regarding their schedules for next year.”
Regarding grades for this semester, the district stated that students and parents will now have a chance to start seeing semester grades on Infinite Campus. Suzanne Johnson, deputy superintendent of instruction, wrote in a May 14 statement that teachers began grade finalization on May 15.
“If you see an estimated semester grade in green, it is not necessarily the final grade that your student will receive,” Johnson wrote. “All middle school and high school students still have an opportunity to relearn and reassess any second semester standards until 3 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26, 2020. Please reach out to your student’s teacher to learn more about these opportunities and how your student can improve his or her grade.”
Johnson added: “For any student who receives an incomplete as a final grade, they will be required to complete the course or will risk having an ‘NC’ on their transcript. A grade of NC means that no credit was earned for the course and the course was not completed. Students will have opportunities to complete the course for credit through summer learning.”
A student’s grade cannot be lower than what it was prior to March 13 according to Johnson.
Beyond the classroom changes, the government-mandated shutdowns have led to nearly 40 million new unemployed Americans and the government, through the school system, continues to use taxpayer dollars to hand out meals.
Superintendent Tony Sanders congratulated U-46 staff, who have been deemed “essential” and continue to receive paychecks, for reaching 1 million taxpayer funded meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) being given away and 339,406. The district also admits little oversight as the food meant for “all children 18 and under,” according to the district, requires no documentation of need or child present to receive.
The district celebrated the handouts according to a May 14 press release: “School administrators and food and nutrition workers will pause to make a little noise - clanging lids, ringing bells and banging drums - to recognize the million meal mark at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the onset of meal distribution.”
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