Norridge, Harwood Heights schools welcoming students for increased in-person hours

More students are starting to return in-person to Norridge and Harwood Heights schools as COVID-19 vaccines have become more widely available.

All school districts in both towns have offered students the choice this school year to learn remotely or attend in person using a hybrid model, in line with county and state requirements.

Here is a look at the school districts’ recent changes in their in-person and remote learner environments.

Pennoyer Elementary School District 79, Norridge

Pennoyer Elementary School, the district’s only school, has recently expanded its learning hours to 4.5 days a week for students who wish to attend school in person. Students attend class Monday through Friday, though Wednesday is a half day to allow for a deep cleaning of the building, said Superintendent Kristin Kopta.

Students also have the choice to finish the school year 100% remotely from home. Of the approximately 430 students who attend Pennoyer, 72% are attending class in person, full-time and 28% have chosen to remain remote. Students continue to socially distance, though the number of students in each classroom has increased per the Illinois Department of Public Health’s guidelines that say schools can now operate with a social distance of 3 feet or more, as opposed to the previous 6 feet.

Previously, in-person learners were divided into groups and attended class either Monday and Tuesday or Thursday and Friday. In-person Special Education and English Language Learners have attended the full four days since the school year began Aug. 24.

Keeping with COVID-19 safety precautions, all students and staff must wear masks in the building, though they are given outdoor mask breaks. Students eat lunch in the lunchroom and have physical education every day, plus art and music classes twice a week. Though the school is not conducting any after-school sports activities, Kopta said that various school clubs are continuing to meet via Zoom.

The building is deep cleaned Saturdays and Wednesdays and sanitized using an electrostatic cleaning system. Kopta said that there have previously been a few COVID-19 positive cases for both students and staff, but it was determined through contact tracing that those infected did not contract the virus at the school.

Norridge School District 80

Both Leigh and Giles Elementary Schools are currently offering full-time, in-person learning for students five days a week, as well as the option to learn 100% remotely, said Interim Superintendent Ralph Grimm. Previously, students had three choices for their learning model. They could study remotely, or attend school for half-days in person 2-3, or five days a week. Students who chose to return to the full-time model started April 6.

Of the 551 students at Leigh school, 80% have chosen to learn in person, and 20% are learning remotely. At Giles, 77% of the 494 students are attending school in person, and 23% are remaining remote.

Both schools require staff and students to wear masks in the building, but mask breaks are offered. Students eat lunch on the premises while maintaining a social distance of 3 feet or more, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health guidelines. Both schools offer physical education.

After-school sporting activities are not taking place, but some activities such as a reading program are taking place virtually.

Grimm said the school district is also following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to increase fresh air intake at both schools, and both are cleaned and sanitized regularly.

Some students and teachers in the district previously tested positive for COVID-19, but the district determined that the virus was contracted outside of the schools, with one case exception that could not be proven conclusively.

Ridgewood Community High School District 234

Ridgewood High School opened four days a week for full-day, in-person learners April 20, said Dean of Students David Hawk. Students also have the choice to continue learning 100% remotely. Mondays are remote learning days for all students.

Of the 823 students enrolled at Ridgewood, 53.6% attend class in person and 46.4% remain remote. This is an increase to in-person learning as the school changes from its earlier hybrid model.

Everyone must wear masks while inside the building, and student desks and workspace areas are distanced at least 3 feet apart in accordance with Illinois Department of Public Health guidelines. Additionally, students are dismissed from class row by row and monitored in the hallways to ensure they are maintaining social distancing. The cafeteria remains closed and an off-campus/open-campus lunch model will be implemented, said Hawks.

Classroom surfaces are disinfected between classes, and cleaned and sanitized daily. High touch and common areas in the building are cleaned multiple times daily.

Though some seasons of the after-school sports calendar had to be adjusted because of COVID-19, student athletes have continued to participate in all sports throughout the school year. All students must wear face masks while participating.

Public Relations Coordinator Bree Sabin said via email that some school staff and students have previously had to be quarantined due to positive COVID-19 tests, but there have been no outbreaks of the virus in the building.

Union Ridge School District 86, Harwood Heights

Union Ridge Elementary School’s 642 students started attending in person five days a week last week, up from four days previously, though families also have the choice to learn remotely, said Superintendent Michael Maguire. Students have staggered start times, but the general schedule is 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Kindergarten students attend half-day morning and afternoon classes.

The district’s goal is to have a full-day, five-day week starting May 17th. At that time, students will eat lunch at school; only a few eat lunch at school now. “We wanted to pilot our lunch plan before we have all our students eating lunch,” Maguire said.

Maguire said the school is cleaned and sanitized and everyone is required to wear masks. There have been cases of students testing positive for COVID-19 but no known cases of the virus being transmitted through contact at the school, Maguire said.

Though the school has made some curriculum changes, Maguire said students participate in art, music and physical education, and they recently added in-person band. They also recently brought back some after-school sports, such as volleyball and cross country, for grades 5-8. Students must wear masks while participating.

“As we look ahead, we will need to continue to adjust our curriculum based on the needs of the students,” said Maguire. “A strong focus on social-emotional learning and physical fitness will be essential for our returning students.”