Triad School District is going Hybrid for all Grades

Thank you for a very successful start to the school year. Even after changing many long-standing procedures and routines, the students and staff have shared several highlights:

• Kids are excited to be back at school.

• They are learning and making new friends even with new rules in place.

• We have embraced learning in fun and new spaces around our schools.

Unfortunately, our area is now the first region in the state to have restrictive mitigations triggered by a recent surge of COVID-19 cases. Area district administrators continue to collaborate and review the recently released Illinois Department of Public Health metrics that provide information about levels of community transmission of COVID-19 within specific counties of Illinois.

At this time, the district plans to continue with the in-person learning plan, but adjusting the A/B schedule. Starting this week ALL students Pre-K through 12th grade will continue to operate on an A/B schedule. Pre-k – 6th grade students will remain on the A/B schedule instead of transitioning to full attendance. Essentially, ALL students attending on Monday and Thursday and Tuesday and Friday will remain on that same schedule. This modified A/B schedule will include students attending in-person on Wednesdays. Refer to the updated schedule on our Return to Learn website to see what Wednesdays your student(s) will be attending.

At this time, Madison County remains “Blue,” which indicates stable levels of transmission within our county. However, over the last few weeks, the positivity rate and number of cases per 100,000 of the county’s population have continued to rise. In the event that the Madison County metrics rise to levels that result in the county being issued a “Warning” designation for two consecutive weeks, the district will transition to remote learning. If the county’s metrics do not improve, the district will transition to full remote learning as early as Monday, August 31st, which would be the result of two consecutive weeks in “Warning” status.

Full remote learning will continue until the county has moved out of “Warning” for two consecutive weeks. These metrics and other information about the “Warning” designation can be found at https://www.dph.illinois.gov/countymetrics?county=Madison.

We understand that this decision will create hardships for our students, parents, and staff, but we must continue to operate throughout this pandemic with the safety of our students and staff as our first priority. Please help to stop the spread in our county by practicing these simple health and safety practices:

1. Wear a face covering

2. Wash hands and sanitize often

3. When possible, practice social distancing

Thank you for your help in stopping the spread of COVID-19 and for your continued patience as we navigate this pandemic.