Evanston Township High School administrators have unveiled their reopening plan for the 2020-21 school year. The ETHS Fall 2020 Reopening Plan can be found on the ETHS website, https://www.eths.k12.il.us/Page/2684.
In announcing the plan, ETHS officials said it “is grounded in the District’s equity work and prioritizes the health and safety of all students and staff. ETHS made an important update to the plan after the framework was discussed at the D202 Board meeting on July 13.”
Beginning Aug. 17, all ETHS students will participate in Enhanced E-learning until further notice.
- ETHS students will attend school every day in a remote learning model, following their daily class period schedule, both synchronous and asynchronous.
- Enhanced e-learning will include high academic expectations and requirements for attendance, grading, class sessions, and assessments.
- Efforts to meet social emotional needs of students within academic instruction and curriculum have been further developed.
Enhanced E-learning Guidelines are available online, and ETHS will continue to build details in the coming weeks.
“We want to assure ETHS families that the enhanced e-learning model will look different than e-learning in the spring,” stated a July 17 message to students and families from ETHS Superintendent Eric Witherspoon and ETHS Assistant Superintendent and Principal Marcus Campbell.
ETHS has spent the past several months developing a more robust, sustainable, and engaging learning experience for all students, the statement about the re-opening said, adding that if conditions permit, ETHS is prepared to transition to a hybrid model that includes in-person instruction for students.
The statement also said, “The voices of students, staff, and families continue to be a critical part of the ETHS fluid planning process. An ETHS Task Force and subcommittees with about 100 people (teachers, students, non-instructional staff, and administrators) have worked tirelessly for weeks to develop remote, hybrid, and in-person models.”
Dr. Witherspoon said, “Our work is not done. In light of continually shifting circumstances and guidance, ETHS must remain flexible and responsive.”
As more information is released and guidelines are updated, announcements will be shared via email, website, mobile app, social media, and select virtual events.
Virtual Town Hall and E-Town Live
Virtual E-Town Hall
ETHS will host a live virtual E-Town Hall at 6 p.m. on July 22. The event is expected to last about one hour.
The event can be viewed live on the ETHS YouTube channel: youtube.com/c/ETHSWildkits/live. A recording will be posted on YouTube after the event.
Questions can be submitted online in advance via Poll Everywhere: pollev.com/ethsd202. Not all questions submitted can be read during the E-Town Hall event.
Questions submitted via Poll Everywhere must be received by 9 p.m. on July 20. There is no need to log in or register with Poll Everywhere to submit a question.
E-Town Live 2020-21
ETHS will present “E-Town Live,” a series that was launched in the spring of 2020. Dr. Witherspoon and Dr. Campbell will continue to co-host the series for the upcoming school year to help keep the school community informed while ETHS is learning and working remotely.
The days/times of E-Town Live will be adjusted to align with the Enhanced E-learning schedule. Recordings will be posted to the ETHS YouTube channel. Details will be shared as they become available.
Save the date: A special back-to-school edition of E-Town Live will be held Friday, August 7 at 9:30 a.m. Details will be available in the coming weeks!
Recognizing that the timeline and details of the ETHS Reopening Plan are subject to change as conditions may determine, district leaders emphasized that there will be extensive changes to the school environment with the implementation of any plan.