November 8, 2020
Hello Hollis Community,
It is disappointing, but we will have to change our in-person learning days effective immediately. Close contacts with positive COVID cases have forced us to transition to a 12:30 dismissal schedule effective Tuesday, November 10. Additionally, there will be no school tomorrow, Monday, November 9. This day will be used as a Remote Planning Day for staff. Students will not be in attendance on Monday, and no remote learning will occur.
As you know, for the past several weeks, cases have been on the rise in Central Illinois and throughout the state. While we have been minimally affected by this at Hollis, the rise in cases has created problems for our school. With the rise in cases comes a rise in individuals who must quarantine due to close contact with a positive case. This has forced Hollis to reach a point where we are simply not able to staff our building appropriately.
The 12:30 dismissal schedule allows us to cover some of these situations internally while still keeping our doors open. The 12:30 dismissal schedule will allow students to receive instruction in all academic areas. PE will be delivered remotely. This means students will be responsible for completing their PE work at home after school each day. More specific information on how to accomplish this task will be sent home Tuesday. Additionally, lunches will not be served at school. Instead, lunches will be sent home with students upon dismissal. We are actively working with Aramark to plan this procedure, and if any menu changes occur, we will notify you ASAP.
Latchkey will continue to be available before and after school. Morning hours will be 6:30 am – 8:00 am. Afternoon hours will be 12:30 – 4:30.
The public hearing for our school’s tuition waiver will be postponed to a later date.
The November Board of Education meeting scheduled for next Monday, November 16, will be held virtually. More information on how to attend virtually will be sent later next week.
This school year has never been easy. This will be another huge challenge for our Hollis community – students, parents, and staff. Please know that we will continue to provide the best possible education for all of our students while operating under the IDPH and ISBE guidelines. As with everything this year, this situation is evolving. At this moment in time, we feel moving to a 12:30 dismissal schedule is the least impactful option. If we cannot make the 12:30 schedule work due to increased cases and absences, we will be forced to move to a full-remote school day. At this time, our plan is to operate under the 12:30 dismissal schedule through Winter break. We will continue to follow the 12:30 dismissal schedule until circumstances improve. Again, all of this is subject to change. We are making the best decision for the current circumstances.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Thanks for all of your support,
Chad Jones
Hollis Superintendent