Important updates regarding the 2020-21 school year and COVID-19 (08/14/20)

Pictured is District 88 Superintendent Dr. Scott Helton.

We’re 10 days away from the start of our 2020-21 school year on Aug. 24, and we couldn’t be more excited to connect with our students!

This week, we welcomed our newest staff members to the District 88 family. Their enthusiasm and desire to help students succeed is truly inspiring. Read more about this at https://www.dupage88.net/site/page/11829.

This year will be different because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and we will have challenges – but we know our students, staff, parents/guardians and community members will work together to overcome this adverse situation. This is a historic and unprecedented time in public education, and the passion, determination and innovation of our pupils and teachers will ensure we accomplish our mission of working for the continuous improvement of student achievement.

IMPORTANT UPDATES

  • District 88 2020-21 Return to School Plan: As a reminder, the 2020-21 school year will begin on Aug. 24 with Remote Learning. To see the district’s Return to School Plan – including details about the schedule, special education, student behavior expectations, food/meal service, COVID-19 resources and more – go to www.dupage88.net/ReturnToSchoolPlan. On that page, you also will find a video segment with the latest information.

  • Student Advisory Committee meeting: I invite all District 88 students to join a Student Advisory Committee and attend an online meeting. See details below.

    What: A meeting for students to discuss our Return to School Plan and to share their thoughts, questions and concerns.

    When: 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 19

    Where: Online through Zoom (a link will be sent to those who register for this event)

    Registration: There are a limited number of spots available. Students should CLICK HERE to reserve their space.

    Who: This meeting is open to all District 88 students. A limited number of spots are available, so be sure to RSVP.

    For questions or more information: Contact District 88 Director of Community Relations Dani Brink at dbrink@dupage88.net or 630-530-3989

  • Food service: Aug. 18 will be the final day for the Summer Food-Service Program (see details at https://www.dupage88.net/site/page/11519). Starting on Aug. 26, we will offer five days’ worth of food each Wednesday for District 88 students. See details at https://www.dupage88.net/site/page/11818. If your child plans to participate in the 2020-21 District 88 food service program to receive meals, please register at https://forms.gle/iT71fpSJXsN8NxWY8. We ask that this information be submitted by Wednesday, Aug. 19.

  • Amended 2020-21 school calendar: During its Aug. 10 meeting, the District 88 Board of Education approved a proposal to amend the 2020-21 school calendar to reflect the removal of “Late Start Mondays” from Aug. 31 to Dec. 14. “Late Start Mondays” were implemented to provide Professional Development/Professional Learning Community time for staff. That staff time will take place on Wednesday afternoons through Dec. 16, so “Late Start Mondays” are no longer necessary. See the updated calendar at www.dupage88.net/calendars.

  • Athletics: On Aug. 14, we received a letter from Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Executive Director Craig Anderson announcing the organization received approval from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to begin practicing for fall sports. We will begin practices for Girls Tennis, Boys and Girls Golf and Boys and Girls Cross Country on Aug. 17 (we will follow IDPH guidelines). Girls Swimming will begin later next week, as we work to secure a pool that will allow our team to swim in an exclusive environment. For updates on athletics, go to https://il.8to18.com/aths or https://il.8to18.com/willowbrook. To view the IHSA's intended plans for the 2020-21 school year, go to https://tinyurl.com/IHSAJuly29.

  • Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) FAQs: The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) recently published on its webpage a new health-based Frequently Asked Questions document from the IDPH. The document addresses many health-related questions and can be viewed at https://www.isbe.net/Documents/IDPH-School-FAQs.pdf.

REGISTRATION AND RESIDENCY VERIFICATION

  • Registration for the 2020-21 school year is open. We are excited to provide a full online registration process for our families. See details at www.dupage88.net/Registration2020-21.

  • We will maintain residency verification to ensure we maximize our resources for families who reside within District 88 boundaries. Residency verification must be completed for all incoming freshmen, new students and transfer students before registering for the 2020-21 school year. To see the residency verification form in various languages, go to www.dupage88.net/residency.

OTHER AREAS OF FOCUS

  • District 88 will continue to support the social and emotional well-being of students, staff, families and community members. See a list of available resources (including resources in Spanish) at www.dupage88.net/Coronavirus.

  • We have been committed to creating and sustaining an equitable and inclusive environment for all students through Deep Equity and Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Youth Equity Stewardship (YES!) series for more than half a decade, and we have put in place many programs to support these initiatives. We know equity is a journey and won’t be reached quickly or easily. However, we need to be relentless in our pursuit of equity, inclusion and the elimination of racism in District 88 and our communities. We are continuing our work with Deep Equity, YES!, Trauma-Informed Practices and Restorative Practices, and we also have implemented the District 88 C.A.R.E. Team (Committed to Academics, Resiliency and Equity) for students and staff to expand and deepen our work in these areas.

  • Updates from the Illinois State Board of Education: https://www.isbe.net/Pages/covid19.aspx and https://tinyurl.com/ISBEMessages 

We know this year will be difficult as we continue to face this unprecedented situation, but we look forward to working together with all of our stakeholders in 2020-21 to build futures for our students. Thank you for your continued support of District 88.

Respectfully,
Scott J. Helton, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools, DuPage High School District 88