PEORIA, Ill. — While most students in Peoria are enjoying an extended fall break, there are still hundreds who require services provided at local school facilities.
Peoria Public Schools District 150 Superintendent Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat says around 700 students initially signed up for the district’s ongoing fall intercession program, which is a way to serve students in need while other teachers and students go on break for two weeks as part of the newer modified school calendar.
School board members gave final approval to the new modified school year back in February after years of study and discussion.
Kherat says teachers and staff are taking positions at schools across the district for the intercession program, welcoming children into the facilities, “they’ll have breakfast and lunch and we’ll use the learning model we traditionally implement during summer that’s a little more fun and with learning in groups.”
She says school officials are already considering whether the fall intercession program should be scaled down to just a few select school facilities in order to give teachers and staff a bit more of a break, but any changes would likely be held off until next year.
“Next year we could scale it down some…with (grades) K through four in one or two sites and (grades) five through eight in one or two other sites,” she said.
In all, Dr. Kherat says she’s received a lot of positive feedback about the extended fall break so far. She says teachers and students certainly appreciate the two week break.
Peoria students are scheduled to return to the normal classroom routine on October 24.
