Kaneland to stick with hybrid learning despite surge in county COVID-19 cases

MAPLE PARK – Despite Region 8's move to Tier II mitigations in the state's Restore Illinois Plan on Wednesday, the Kaneland school district is planning on moving ahead with its hybrid in-person learning model for the immediate future.

Region 8 includes Kane and DuPage counties.

Those addditional mitigations include lowering the maximum amount of people in groups to 10, but the state does not make that applicable for students participating in-person learning.

"So, what we are going to continue to do is talk with the Kane County Health Dept., monitor our local data [and] our local metrics and have the internal conversations about continuing to operate with our hybrid model as long as we can moving forward," Superintendent Dr. Todd Leden said at the board meeting on Monday.

Leden is also forecasting that the board's upcoming meeting on Nov. 30 will meet virtually via Zoom.

"Based on the public gathering of 10 [persons], which is going to be the mandate outside of schools, this group has incorporated with Tier I to 25," Leden said. "My recommendation would be to continue to incorporate that and be consistent with that so that grouping for our board would be 10. And, there's just typically 10 of us on stage."

The Board also received a presentation on the district's 'Indicators of Success' and other data from the state pertaining to the high school graduation rate, percentage of students participating in college-level course work and more.

Highlights of the vast dashboard of metrics include 92% of the district's high school students graduated in 2019, up 1% from the previous year. And, 92% of freshmen in the district are currently on track to graduate.

Specific analysis and data on elementary-aged students and more can be found here and here.

Leden also announced his recommendation that the district not participate in a IHSA-sanctioned high school basketball season as currently presented. That full story can be viewed here.