The Examiner U-46 News FeedU-46 retreats on plan to expand hybrid classes By Seth Hancock
Schools are not spreading COVID-19 according to the data, but School District U-46 will continue ceding its decision-making to outside organizations.
That’s the message from the Board of Education meeting on Monday, Nov. 16 which was held electronically.
A presentation on hybrid plans for groups still waiting to return was planned, but Superintendent Tony Sanders said it would not be given because of “late breaking news.”
“This morning, the Kane County Health Department provided guidance to U-46 saying we should take an ‘adaptive pause’ effective Nov. 23 through Dec. 4,” Sanders said adding that term is from the state meaning all students should “return to remote learning only.”
The district had often cited DuPage County’s guidelines as dictating its decisions.
In recent weeks, some kindergarten through second grade students had returned for a hybrid model and some specialized students groups had returned shortly before them. The district was expecting to return third through sixth grade students on Nov. 30 which will now not occur.
Some small groups of high school students were also planned to return the same day as the meeting. Sanders said that, unless ordered by Gov. J.B. Pritzker or other outside agencies, students would be allowed to attend in-person that week as long as the district had the staff and ability to contact trace.
Sanders said data shows “schools are actually a really safe place for students to be so long as they wear their mask and staff wear their mask, as long as we provide that social distancing and the hand washing,” and “we are not the spreaders.”
Despite providing no evidence, Sanders blamed people acting freely are to blame saying spread is coming from “Halloween gatherings” and he warned COVID-19 “will generate from Thanksgiving gatherings if they are not careful.”
“It is those instances in the public when we allow ourselves to take our masks off and be around others is where we continue to spread COVID-19,” Sanders said in offering that opinion.
The rate of positive tests has been used as reasons to continue restrictions by government agencies, but of note, the number of weekly tests being given has rapidly increased from around 500,000 in the summer to now about 1.6 million according to John Hopkins University’s testing trends.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states “6 [percent] of the deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned” meaning less than 15,000 of reported deaths across the country can for certain be attributed to COVID-19. A report released in September by the CDC stated that over 70 percent of confirmed carriers “reported always using cloth face coverings or other mask types when in public.”
The American Institute for Economic Research studied data from 25 U.S. states and 23 countries and stated government mandates “such as lockdowns, closures, travel restrictions, stay-home orders, event bans, quarantines, curfews, and mask mandates – do not seem to affect virus transmission rates overall.”
U-46 continues to see some public pushback with one board member saying the emails are “overflowing” from parents who are upset with the continued distance learning.
Sanders said the administration will meet with health departments on Nov. 30 and Dec. 2 to be told what to do. The board is expected to hold a special board meeting on Dec. 7 to discuss plans.
The district is still planning for a hybrid model for middle and high school students starting in the second semester, but a press release from Sanders states that’s “if we are cleared to do so by health authorities.”
Sanders accused the public of spreading “rumors… that we will only have students in person one day a week.”
“I assure you, I will not bring a model forward to the Board of Education that does not provide at least two days of instruction per week for our students,” Sanders said.
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