Enrollment at Danville District 118 schools has improved somewhat compared to where the numbers were at the start of the school year, and staff members are enforcing rules to make sure students are staying engaged.
As of December 1st, total enrollment at District 118 schools is just under 5,000 students, at 4,989 students compared to last year’s number of 5,410 students. The total high school enrollment is only down by five students currently, but a greater loss still exists at the elementary school level compared to last year.
Superintendent Dr. Alicia Geddis told school board members Wednesday night that the district is committed to contact students and make sure they are participating in classes this year.
“Our building staff has gone above and beyond, including the home liaisons and school resource officers,” she said. “It has really been a team effort to make sure our students log into the program.”
With the district being on a hybrid of remote and in-person learning since the start of the school year and fully remote since November 23rd, Geddis says it has been a challenge to make sure that students are attending their classes, logging onto the online learning program and having good attendance.
John Hart, the district’s Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education, says District 118 has experienced problems with parents not registering their students for the school year, and he adds that he thinks some parents are misunderstanding the difference between homeschooling and remote learning.
“We do have some parents saying that they’re just going to homeschool for this year,” Hart explained. “We’ve tried to contact them to make sure that they register with the Regional Office of Education.”
Hart also says that staff has found vacant houses where students are identified as living at. Dr. Beth Yacobi, the district’s Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education, says the district has to keep students on its rolls for liability reasons, even if they cannot be located.
Geddis says staff members and school resource officers have shown students how to access online learning, and have warned students of the consequences of failing to attend classes.
In other news, Geddis says she has been having meetings with a transition team that is developing plans to bring kids back to school safely at the start of the second semester in January.
School board members also approved an amended contract with First Student for bus transportation. Geddis says the company’s employees have not been paid since the full remote learning began last month. She says the contract ensures that the bus employees will be able to work once in-person learning begins, and she says they have agreed to help the district with mobile learning labs and other items. The district will pay First Student $10,992 per day for each attendance day during the remote learning period.
