Answers to Common Parent Questions As Cicero District 99 Begins Remote Learning
By Leslie Hurtado
Additional reporting by Irene Romulo
Today, Cicero District 99 began the 2020-2021 school year with full remote learning for the first quarter. In preparation, District 99 has held two bilingual virtual town halls to answer parent questions. Past district board meetings were only held in English.
Here is a list of most common parent questions during the virtual meetings held on August 13 and August 28.
What are the hours of instruction?
All students from Kindergarten to eighth grade will follow a regular school schedule from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. as if they were waking up early to arrive at school.
How will new students including kindergarteners get a laptop computer?
Kindergarteners will have to go to their assigned school on a specified time during the week of August 31 to pick up a laptop, meet their teachers and receive basic training to use the computer. No more than six students will be allowed to come in at a time. Parents can expect to receive a call from their school’s principal or administrator this week with an assigned time.
Parents who decide not to meet with educators can watch tutorial videos online to learn how to use the technology. Superintendent Rodolfo Hernandez, however, highly encourages students and parents to meet with their assigned teacher in person to receive training on how to navigate virtual school platforms.
Who can you call for technical support?
If a parent or guardian needs technical support, they can call the parent support center at (708) 762-2242 or visit the school at any time, according to Hernandez. Parents can also log-in to the virtual helpline on Google meetings any day from 9-1 p.m. The link is available here.
Do students need to wear uniforms?
According to Hernandez, students are not required but encouraged to wear their school uniform to better resemble their school routine.
“If we want our children to [learn effectively], I would say make them wear their uniform,” Hernandez said. “And here is the reason why, mentally [students] need to know that they are going to school.”
What advice does the district have for families with multiple children at home?
Hernandez encourages parents to place children in separate rooms to receive instruction.
How will students be graded?
Students will no longer receive a letter grade. Instead they will be given a number on a scale from 1-4 depending on how well each student is meeting standards for each subject in each grade. The Illinois State Board of Education has information on these standards on their website.
The number 1 signifies that a student does not demonstrate age appropriate standards.
The number 2 signifies that a student is inconsistently meeting a standard.
The number 3 signifies that a student is consistently meeting a standard.
The number 4 signifies that a student is consistently meeting a standard and encourages others.
How will the district decide when to start in-person classes again?
After the first 30 days the district will use public health information to determine when it is safe to begin a hybrid model of in-person and remote learning. According to Hernandez, parents will be given at least a two week notice before resuming a hybrid model of in-school and remote learning.
Will homework be graded?
Students will have three days to complete homework assignments. Homework is considered practice and will not count against a student, according to the parent liaison at the August 28 meeting.
What other assistance can the district provide for parents facing difficult financial situations?
A single mother, and the sole financial provider in her household, asked Hernandez in Spanish if there was support for parents who have to work during the day and cannot provide assistance for their younger children. Hernandez said educators cannot offer other types of support for parents other than academic instruction and social-emotional support. He emphasized the importance of parents reaching out to relatives or friends that can care and teach their children while they work.
Parents with additional questions can contact the district directly.
How do you know who your child’s teacher is?
Parents are required to set up a Powerschool account to contact the child’s school, teachers and the district. Powerschool is an online platform for students and parents. On Powerschool, parents can check a child’s learning progression as well as figure out who their teacher is.
Do you need to go to each of your child’s schools to pick up their meals?
Meals will be available for pick-up at all schools, except the Early Childhood Center, on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8-10 a.m. Even if you have multiple children at different schools, you do not need to go to each school for their meal. Parents can go to whatever school is closest to them to pick up meals.
Where can parents express additional concerns?
District 99 has board of education meetings on the third Wednesday of the month. The full calendar of meetings is available on the website. During the meeting, community members can offer public comments where they can express their opinions or ask questions. The district has been providing a phone number for community members to attend the meetings virtually by dialing in.
You can watch a recording of the full virtual town hall on Facebook.
Leslie Hurtado is a community reporter who works on COVID-19 coverage for Cicero Independiente.
How was the first day of school for you? What questions do you have? Feel free to email us at info@ciceroindependiente.com with your experiences.
