07/27/2020 Important Message from District 89

Dear D89 Parents, Students and Staff,

On July 16, 2020, I sent communication to all of our students, parents and staff regarding our return to school plan, which featured a Hybrid/Blended Model. School districts across our state and country were all given the charge to decide what school will look like for the 2020-2021 school year. It was understood that no matter what model we chose, there would be some disagreement. The Hybrid/Blended Model was chosen at the time to provide in-person learning opportunities, while considering the safety and well-being of our students, staff and our community at large.

Since my last communication, the COVID-19 cases in our country, state and surrounding communities have continued to increase. Therefore, for the safety and well-being of our students, families and staff members we will be starting the school year remotely (e-Learning). We will continue to monitor the situation and, if possible, we will return to in-person instruction once it is safe to do so. At this time, we will initiate our eLearning Plan for the first academic quarter, which begins on August 24th and ends on October 27th. However, please note that the possibility exists that we will extend our e-Learning Plan based upon the data we have available at the time. You will be receiving additional information on our eLearning Plan in the near future, which will include the expectations for our students and staff.

While we would all like to get “back to normal” and welcome back our students in person, it is simply not possible at this time. We have worked hard on our eLearning Plan over the past several months and are confident that we will be able to deliver an enhanced and rigorous learning experience for our students. We have also accelerated our technology plan and will be distributing devices to every student, K-8th grade, so that all students have the opportunity to be fully engaged in e-Learning. As we have done since the onset of the pandemic, we will continue to provide meals to our students.

We know this decision will have an impact on our families, particularly with our working families. Our district is committed to assisting our families during these difficult times. We are working with community partners and will provide resources to our families as they become available. We will provide you with more information as we develop plans and obtain resources, which may include resources for childcare.

We know that we need to continue to remain flexible. As of today, we believe that this is the best approach in light of the ever-evolving pandemic. We also know that we will need to monitor and refine our eLearning Plan so that we best meet the needs of our students. I want to thank you all in advance for your understanding and flexibility as we move forward. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your school principal if you have any questions.

I wish you all safety and good health as we continue to address these challenging times.

Partners in Education,
Dr. David Negron