***UPDATE***
MTHS will be going to all-remote learning until Sept. 8, pending board of education approval.
The following e-mail was sent Monday afternoon from Superintendent Sean O’Laughlin to district stakeholders:
As indicated in my email last night, MTHS remains committed to in-person learning. However, at this point in time, we believe it is necessary to modify our current schedule to reduce the total number of people in our building in order to better meet social distance guidelines. Our hope is that by being able to better meet these guidelines, we will greatly diminish the number of students that will have to quarantine as a result of close contact and further limit the spread of COVID-19. We also believe this will give our teachers more social distance in the classroom so they, too, can avoid possible quarantines. MTHS will be going to remote instruction until Tuesday, September, 8, 2020, pending Board of Education approval of the extended closure and transition to temporary remote learning. MTHS will begin implementation of its Remote Learning Plan starting tomorrow. I have attached the plan to this email for your review. This is the same Remote Learning Plan that was posted to the website and emailed out to you prior to the start of school. Students are expected to begin engaging with this plan tomorrow morning at 8:00 A.M. Students, please check your GoogleClassroom for instructions from your teachers. The daily schedule for students will follow our current block schedule format with tomorrow being a “B” day – periods 5 through 8.
MTHS had a plan for the full return of our student body to campus, and we had a plan for a transition to all remote learning. We had lengthy discussions about a third option. We decided not to purchase the additional technology for the third option if we could make the first option work or if the State mandated all-remote learning. At this time, we are working on developing that third option more fully in order for in-person learning to continue. This plan will require us to look at schedules, acquire more technology, and train staff. Details of this plan will be sent out later this week.
The school will be open today until 7:00 P.M. for your students to pick up any textbooks or other resources they might need. If you do not have an internet connected device at home, we will have Chromebooks available for students to check out. We will also be open starting at 7:00 AM tomorrow morning for additional pickup of materials. We understand that this is short notice and apologize. Teachers will understand if your student is not able to participate online tomorrow if you are not able to pick up a Chromebook tonight and will help students with make-up work on an as-needed basis during the afternoon virtual study hall. Students please enter the doors on Madison Street for your temperature check and screening before you proceed into the building to gather supplies. If you would like to request food service during remote learning, please fill out the lunch GoogleForm on the website.
Again, thank you for your patience and understanding. Please know that we are taking these steps because we believe that it is in the best interest of the health and safety of our students and staff at MTHS and gives us the best chance to continue with in-person instruction.
Thank you,
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METAMORA, Ill. — A domino effect of COVID-19 has led to Metamora Township High School’s changing Monday’s classes from in-person to a remote learning planning day.
A case inside the building was confirmed on Friday, which led to contact tracing. Superintendent Sean O’Laughlin said this involved any individuals who came within six feet of the infected individual for a total of 15 minutes or more during a day.
This contact tracing led to a quarantine of several people.
The school learned Saturday there was another confirmed case, which led to contact tracing of individuals who had close contact with that infected individual.
As with the Friday case, Saturday’s case also led to a 14-day quarantine for many individuals.
25 individuals as of Sunday night were in quarantine, which prompted O’Laughlin to blast an e-mail to announce Monday’s change of schedule.
The superintendent also said contact tracing was going to be performed well into Sunday night, from which he expected even more quarantines to result.
He said the district was contemplating a plan that would involve an alternating schedule, in which two halves of the student body would alternate in-person instruction days. If the district were to go that route, O’Laughlin said, subsequent remote learning days after Monday would be needed to make the transition.
An announcement with further instructions was anticipated to be sent out sometime Monday afternoon.
