O’Fallon High School is latest to move to remote learning due to coronavirus concerns

O’Fallon Township High School District 203 will move to remote learning this year, in light of the spike of COVID-19 cases in St. Clair County.

Students will attend school one day per week for the first two weeks for orientation for remote learning, to meet their teachers, and to be issued books.

The first group of students will have orientation Tuesday. For each of the first two weeks, students will have one day of in-person learning and three days of remote learning.

Completely remote learning begins Aug. 24 and will continue “until further notice,” according to the district.

Students receiving special education services in self-contained classrooms will still attend in-person learning five days per week on a shortened schedule.

The district’s joint announcement with the teachers union on Wednesday came days after the teachers union, the O’Fallon Federation of Teachers, called for remote learning Saturday, prompting a meeting Monday night.

With positive coronavirus cases spiking in the metro-east region, more districts are announcing plans for remote learning, including Alton 11, Granite City 9, East St. Louis 189, Mascoutah 19, Belleville 118 and Cahokia 187.

On Monday, the metro-east reported 188 new cases, the highest daily total of new coronavirus cases recorded since the pandemic began. The previous record broken was Friday.

The state of Illinois defines the metro-east region as St. Clair, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, Clinton, Bond and Washington counties. The region averaged a positivity rate of 7.4% over the last seven days, which is higher than Chicago.

This story was originally published August 5, 2020 at 5:50 PM.