Two Belleville school districts extend remote learning into next week
Staffing shortages forced several metro-east school districts to switch to remote learning this week after winter break.
Originally, Belleville School District 118 and Belleville Township High School 201 planned on having classes remotely through Friday. Now Monday will be remote too.
The districts told families this week that they’d be making decisions about any additional remote learning days if they were necessary. In Belleville 118, 34 teachers are out after testing positive for COVID-19, and another five are in quarantine, according to the district’s COVID dashboard.
Additionally, there are 101 students who tested positive and 252 in quarantine.
Paired with a substitute teacher shortage, Belleville 118 Superintendent Ryan Boike said Friday that his staff had been covering classes without a teacher all week, whether it was a teacher subbing on their planning hour, a paraprofessional with a substitute teacher license covering a class, or an administrator leading class.
“They’ve rolled up their sleeves, and we’ve had to make sure we’ve got appropriate coverage when kids come to school,” Boike said Friday. “We have to make sure it’s a safe, meaningful environment.”
Belleville 201 Superintendent Brian Mentzer told families in an automated voice message Friday that in-person instruction will resume on Tuesday.
Mentzer said the schools had seen a decrease in quarantines and exclusions. He also cited the Illinois State Board of Education’s announcement on Friday that school guidance would soon be updated to reflect the latest CDC guidance, which shortens the recommended quarantine to five days, followed by five days of wearing a mask.
Other school districts in the area adjusted plans this week too. O’Fallon Township High School 203 will make a decision about remote learning next week over the weekend, after canceling school Friday.
Cahokia School District 187 and East St. Louis School District 189 are remote through Jan. 14, and Granite City School District 9 resumes in-person learning Jan. 24.
This story was originally published January 7, 2022 at 5:30 PM.