West Cook News

Residents and parents in the River Forest School District 90, a K-8 system representing Lincoln, Willard and Roosevelt schools with 1,466 students, are gathering petition signatures to demand a return to in-person learning.

A report on the website Change.org said the purpose of the petition is to demonstrate community support for a plan by school administrators to enact what is described as a “blended in-person” learning plan starting on Jan. 19.

“Signatures here are a sign of support for our board of education, administration, teachers and staff,” petition backers said on the webpage.

Petitions to get schools back to in-person instruction say that virtual learning is causing students to fall behind. | File Photo

Supporters indicated that closure of schools and the transition to remote learning at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic is causing children to fall behind. In addition, the report contended that children do not fuel surges in virus cases and that available data shows that cases among children simply mirror the presence of COVID-19 in the overall community.

In addition, the report stated that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top coronavirus expert and advisor to the president, had clearly said the best result is to get children back in school if possible. The report also noted that school officials have been following the guidelines set by health officials in Illinois, and the hybrid system of classes with part at-home learning and part in-person instruction enacted last August had proved successful.

The longer the children are kept out of the classroom, the worse the situation will be, said backers of the petition. They also contended that isolation from at-home learning is fueling societal anxiety given the uncertainty of when schools would reopen.

Two schools in District 90 likely will experience a drop in test scores because of the closure, said the report. Other Illinois school districts, such as Western Springs, are still offering in-person instruction.

“Further delays in returning to in-person instruction will undoubtedly lower test scores further,” said proponents.

For an explanation of the Blended Plan proposed by the district, go to campussuite-storage.