The 2019-2020 school year was something that none of us have ever seen before. We don’t yet know what the 2020-2021 school year will look like for Rockford area students.

As more information is released, we will keep you updated on what will happen next school year.

First things first, celebrate this year! You did it! Your kids finished a year of school unlike any that we have ever experienced in our lifetimes. Congratulations to all of our graduating kids from seniors to 8th graders to 6th graders to kindergarteners and preschoolers!

So many kids had big years that didn’t end how we would have wanted them to. Let’s take a minute to recognize that and congratulate them and the teachers, parents, and administrators that made this year go as smoothly as possible.

What’s the 2020-2021 school year going to look like in Rockford, Illinois?

You may have seen a graphic going around Facebook recently with LOTS of changes that need to be made before school could be in session. Don’t let it upset you! This graphic has been challenged for being inaccurate and taking the CDC recommendations and listing them as facts. The items listed in the CDC graphic were recommendations, not requirements.

Each individual school district will be making their own plans, based off of CDC recommendations and state recommendations, for the upcoming school year. If you want to see all of the information that the CDC has released so far, here are the CDC recommendations for the next school year.

What we do know is that things may look a bit different next year. Prepare for the potential of more e-learning and changes to the classrooms and routines. Some possible scenarios include:

Online registration instead of in-person registration
All e-learning curriculum
Small, in-person classes, activities and events with students 6 feet apart and individual supplies and materials.
Hybrid e-learning and in-person classrooms
Full-sized, in-person classes, activities and events with no spacing and shared materials and supplies.

Winnebago County, Rock County, and Boone County school districts will be making decisions that will be unveiled sometime this summer. Typically, school calendars are finalized by late July. You can expect to see communication from your district this summer about how the school year will go.

What’s your state saying about the 2020-2021 school year?

Illinois released their K-12 school guidelines for the 2020-2021 year on June 23, 2020.

Guidelines include:

Use of face masks while indoors, face masks may be removed when outside
No more than 50 people in one space
Social distancing whenever possible
Symptom screening and temperature checks or self-certification when entering school buildings
Increased schoolwide cleaning and disinfection

All public school Illinois students will receive cloth face masks.

If you’re planning on sending your kids to school in the 2020-2021 year, you may want to purchase kids’ face masks sooner than later. Crayola is selling packs of daily face masks and laundry bags for $29.99.

More details will be released about each school district’s plans later this summer.

You can read the entire 60 page document titled Starting the 2020-2021 School Year here.

What’s your school district saying about the 2020-2021 school year?

For the most up-to-date information on your child’s school year, check your school district’s official communication.

Here are the links to the school district websites. As the school districts release their plans, we will update this article.

If your children are preschool age, find out what’s going on with the private preschool by finding their listing in our Preschool Guide and going to their website or Facebook page.

Schools Districts Plans for the 2020-2021 School Year

As schools release their plans for the 2020-2021 school year, we will update this section.

School District of Beloit

The School District of Beloit has voted to do virtual learning for the first quarter at the Tuesday night meeting on July 28th.

Beloit Turner

Beloit Turner plans to give families the option to choose whether they would like to start in-person or virtually. For in-person learning, they will be increasing safety measures by checking students temperatures each day, strongly encouraging face masks in classrooms and requiring them on the bus, staggering bell times to reduce the number of students in the hallways or at cubbies, spacing students out on the buses, turning off the drinking fountains, eating lunch inside the classrooms, and using a block schedule with two classes per day that are 3 hours long with lunch in the middle. Plans may change as the start of school gets closer and teachers are encouraged to use Google Classrooms as much as possible in case they go to virtual learning later in the year.

Belvidere 100

Belvidere 100 will start with remote learning for students kindergarten through high school until at least the first semester. They will start on September 8th.

Durand CUSD 322

Durand will be going back to school on a hybrid model with students splitting the day between in-person attendance and remote learning. In-person schooling will take place from 8 am – 12 pm and the afternoon will be for remote learning. Kids will have 5 hours of school per day total.

Harlem 122

Harlem is offering in-person and remote learning options. Harlem has pushed their start date back to September 8th.

Early education can attend in person for 5 half-days per week of in-person learning (AM from 7:50 am – 10:30 or PM from 12 pm – 2:35 pm)

Elementary (K-6) can attend in person for five full days per week from 7:50 am – 2:35 pm.

Middle school will be offered an in-person blended model with two days per week of in-person instruction and three days per week of remote learning. Half of the students will Tuesdays and Thursdays and half will attend Wednesdays and Fridays.

High school will also follow a blended learning model with two days per week of in-person instruction and three days per week of remote learning. Half of the students will Tuesdays and Thursdays and half will attend Wednesdays and Fridays.

Any middle or high school student who receives English language or special education services will have the option to attend in-person instruction daily.

The remote learning option requires a commitment of one semester (until Winter break). Students will be assigned to virtual classrooms with students in their grade from Harlem schools throughout the district. Class size will be average (~20-25 students). Your child’s teacher may not be from their school. They will use Google Meet, Google Classroom, and Seesaw. They will receive five instructional hours. Early childhood will receive 2.5 hours of instruction.

Kinnikinnick School District 131

Kinnikinnick will be going back to school with the option of in-person learning or remote learning for five hours per day. The start date will be pushed back to September 8. More information will be released by the end of July.

North Boone CUSD 200

North Boone will push back their start date to September 8th. They plan to come back in-person at that time with new measures in place including face masks and temperature checks. They are also prepared to switch to virtual learning if needed. Their e-learning plan will consist of 5 hours per day of instruction and include Google Meets.

Rockford School District 205

RPS 205 will be offering families both in-person and remote learning options beginning on September 1st. In-person instruction will follow health and safety guidelines.

Early Education (ages 3-4) can attend in-person offered 5 days per week at their Early Childhood Center. Transportation will be provided for in-person learning. Families can choose remote instruction for students with medical exemptions.

Elementary (K-5) can attend in-person five days each week or remote learning five days per week. Transportation will be provided for in-person learning. If school is closed for any length of time, students will shift to remote learning.

Remote learning information:

Students must engage in 5 hours of daily learning.
Electronic attendance will be tracked.
New content will be introduced by teachers and progress will be tracked by assessments and monitoring.
Students will be assigned to teachers who are teaching remotely. Students will be in virtual classrooms in the district, not necessarily with the zone school classmates. Students will likely be assigned a teacher who does not teach in their zone school.
They plan to accommodate special programs including STEAM, Two-Way Language, Gifted Academy, and Maria Montessori.
Students will be assigned an electronic device to use at home. Kindergarten through second grade will get an iPad, third and up will get Chromebooks.
Students will use Google Classroom, Seesaw, and Nearpod to interact with teachers and peers.

Middle school and high school students will choose between full-time remote learning and in-person two days per week with remote learning the other there days. This includes Gifted and CAPA programs.

In-person learning will be divided into two groups – Group A and Group B. Group A meet will on Monday and Thursdays in person. Group B will be on Tuesdays and Fridays. Remote learning will happen on the other days.

Meals will be provided for all students. Remote students can grab and go.

You can view the full Back to School plan released by RPS205 on July 29th here.

South Beloit CUSD

South Beloit schools are starting on August 19th and will offer both in-person and remote learning options. Remote learning for pre-K through 6 will be assigned to a classroom. Grades 7-12 will receive a class schedule. Parent will have to make their choices by August 7th.

Too soon to think about the 2020-2021 school year in Rockford?

If this isn’t something you want to think about yet, that’s perfectly alright! Don’t worry about it and enjoy your summer! Here are some ideas for having fun at home this summer:

What Will the 2020-2021 School Year Look Like For Rockford Students?