Glencoe’s South School students are set to return to some in-person learning this week while the heads of the local teachers union are expressing some trepidation about the shift.
After one student and four staff members tested positive for COVID-19 at Glencoe’s public school for kindergarten through second graders, District 35 officials moved South from a hybrid approach to all remote starting the week of Oct. 19.
However, last week, the decision was made to move back to a hybrid format starting Nov. 4, with the district administration believing it is safe to reopen the school.
“The building was fully cleaned using enhanced COVID protocols,” Superintendent Catherine Wang wrote in an email. “In addition, the timing allowed for all staff and students to complete the 14-day quarantine. During this remote period there were no additional positive cases for students or staff members.”
Glencoe Education Association Co-Presidents Karen Leeds and Heather Bauer issued a statement expressing some trepidation about the resumption of in-person learning.
“South School teachers and teacher associates have a mixture of emotions about returning to the hybrid model,” the union representatives wrote. “The two weeks of remote were successful for our students and staff. We are looking forward to having our students back in the building as of Wednesday and are appreciative of all the mitigation factors in place, but we remain concerned about the positivity rates in Region 10 and in other regions where teachers and teacher associates live. Teachers and teacher associates are anxious about contracting COVID and/or passing COVID to a family member.”
While South operated in remote, District 35’s other two schools — West and Central — remained in a hybrid model.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter.
