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H-F High School plans return to in-person learning for students on Feb. 2

Staff and administrators at Homewood-Flossmoor High School are planning for students to return for in-person classes starting Feb. 2, if the numbers of COVID-19 positive cases in suburban Cook County drop significantly.

Principal Jerry Anderson presented the program at the District 233 school board meeting on Dec. 15.

To determine an opening date, H-F will follow guidelines set by the Illinois Department of Public Health, as well as its staffing needs, personal protective equipment (PPE) availability and local and regional COVID numbers.

Anderson said parents will have to choose between two options for their student:  continue with remote learning or return to school on a hybrid model that will have the student on campus two consecutive days within a two-week period.

Remote learning will continue when the second semester resumes Jan. 4. Parents and teachers will be notified on Jan. 5 whether H-F can put its return plan in place. If it can, teachers will be asked to return to the high school either Jan. 19 or Jan. 25. Students will follow Feb. 2.

If the COVID-19 numbers don’t allow for this schedule, H-F has planned alternative return dates between Feb. 2 and May 4. The plan calls for a tentative start date every two weeks. In-person classes will be canceled for the two weeks following the spring break to allow time for students and staff to quarantine. 

To reduce the student population enough to allow for adequate social distancing, only one-quarter of the students will return at a time. Students will be grouped by alphabet into four groups. All students will be asynchronous – remote learning – on Mondays. 

Group A will attend classes Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Group B will attend classes Thursdays and Fridays of Week 1. The schedule for Week 2 follows the same pattern with all students remote learning on Mondays, and Group C meeting Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Group D meeting Thursdays and Fridays.

The two days in a row will have students in class with each of their teachers. The first day at H-F they will have class periods 1 through 4, and the second day on campus they will attend class periods 5, 6 and 7.

Anderson said class sizes would be between 12 and 14 students, depending on the number of students returning.

The school day will begin at either 8 or 9 a.m., depending on the day, and extend to 2:50 p.m. But, students will only be in the building until noon. To avoid serving students lunch in the cafeteria, brown bag lunches will be provided for students to take with them as they leave for home. 

The schedule gives an hour for transportation and a half-hour lunch break from 1 to 1:30 p.m. Afternoon asynchronous classes are from 1:30 to 2:50 p.m. 

“It won’t be school as we left it,” the principal said, noting staff and students will have to wear masks and social distance. Teachers will keep classroom doors closed and will eat lunch in their classrooms.

Protocols will be in place to accommodate the need to quarantine if someone tests positive or comes into contact with a person who has the virus, Anderson said.

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