In-person learners return to school Tuesday, September 8 with new on-site and schedule changes
In-person learners will now attend Monday through Thursdays. All students will remote learn on Fridays.
Hardin County students who signed up for in-person learning may return to school on Tuesday, September 8. Students were dismissed on Friday, August 21 with news that a case of COVID-19 was associated with the school. Administrators made the decision to close for two weeks so that deep cleaning, contact tracing, and a period of quarantine could take place. While students were out, some physical on-site changes and schedule changes have taken place.
First, one physical change will be at the front entrance of the building. On Tuesday, September 1, replacement of the interior and exterior front entrance doors began. The funds for this project were part of Illinois State Maintenance Grant that the school received this summer. The local matching funds will be coming from the local 1% tax that was passed several years ago. This project will include all the exterior doors being replaced. The goal is to have the entrance done before students return to school next week. The rest of the doors are planned to be done by the end of the month. This project was supposed to be completed this summer, but due to delays in the glass and doors being delivered it will get done this month. The door replacement is going to cost $185,000, with $50,000 coming from the grant.
Another physical change students and staff will see is in the bathrooms. All the toilets now have automatic, touchless flushing. Keith Williax deserves a big shout out for learning how to install these himself saving the school district money.
Also, a schedule change will take place. Hardin County Schools will change the number of days of in-person learning from five days to four days. Starting the week of September 7, Fridays will be used for remote learning for all students. The first Friday remote learning day will be September 11.
“The reason for this decision is to give teachers a day to plan and spend time with their remote learners,” said Superintendent Andy Edmondson. “As we planned this summer, we were anticipating about 80% of the student population to be in-person learning. The number of in-person learners is closer to 70%.”
Students who are in-person learners can still connect with their teachers on Fridays, but hopefully this will allow the teachers time to better work with the remote learners and give them some much deserved attention. Buses will still be running on Fridays to deliver meals to students.
“We have e-learning devices for all students who need them,” said Edmondson. “It took a while to get them here, but we have them ready for students. This week we will have internet available for families to use in front of the school via a “hotspot.” Parents and students can park in the front parking lot. School provided devices will automatically connect to the “hotspot”.
In addition to an internet “hot spot” at the school, there are also plans to install more at Cave in Rock, Rosiclare, and one near Karber’s Ridge Road. They will be ordered this week and installed as soon as possible.
During this period of all-school remote learning, buses leave the school each day at 11 a.m. to deliver meals to students on their routes. If anyone needs to be added to the meal route, please contact the school.
Now that there are e-learning devices available for all students, students may receive one if the appropriate paperwork has been filled out. Kindergarten through 2nd graders can be given a tablet, and 3rd through 12th grades will be given a Chromebook. Students who need a device may contact the school at 287-2141 to request that a device be put on the bus, or parents may request to pick it up at the school office.
Registration paperwork is important and needs to be returned to the student’s teacher as soon as possible. It can be returned on the buses or dropped off at the school office. Please make sure it is labeled with the students’ name, grade, and the teacher’s name.
For students needing assistance with remote learning, please contact the school between 8 a.m. and 3:25 p.m. to speak to their teacher or contact them through the school website, https://hardink12.net/ .
It is essential that students complete their work both in-person and remotely so they can be eligible for promotion at the end of the year. A traditional grading scale is being used this school year.
School pictures…pm students doing theirs during pm hours or have I misunderstood the phone message I recieved…Mrs Armstrong was hard to hear on my phone.
Yes, that is correct.