Hutsonville Community Unity School District #1 held an emergency Board of Education meeting on June 30, 2020, the agenda included the return to school 2020-2021 options and the hiring of legal representation for litigation. The board voted 7 to 0 in favor of moving forward with the return to school 2020-2021 options and hiring Mr. Thomas G. DeVore to represent the school.
According to his own social media post, Mr. Devore sent a letter first thing on July 1, 2020 to the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education that his client “will not blindly follow the guidance directives and will instead make their own decisions locally as to how to protect their children.”
On Monday, July 6, 2020, Hutsonville CUSD #1 Superintendent Julie Kraemer issued this notice to students and families through the school’s Facebook page:
*Dear Hutsonville Students and Families,
As Hutsonville Schools prepares diligently for the 2020-21 school year, we remain committed to supporting both the academic and social-emotional needs of our students.
With that in mind, it is our belief that students learn best and are the most engaged when they are in an environment that is comfortable and not distracting. After much deliberation and input, we have decided the wearing of masks in Hutsonville Schools will be recommended BUT NOT REQUIRED for the 2020-21 school year.
We feel this approach is the best way our district can balance the health and safety of our students and staff while maintaining a dynamic learning environment for all students. I want to assure you the district takes the health of our students seriously and is diligently preparing a safety plan for return to school. Furthermore, increased handwashing and stringent cleaning protocols will be part of our re-entry plan.
If students do not feel comfortable attending school, the option to engage in remote learning will be made available to them. Through Google Meets, students will be able to login from home and watch and listen to their teacher, hear questions from their peers, and be able to ask questions. In addition they will have the full expectations of attendance and completion of assignments as if they were on our campus. Our full reopening plan will be shared at a later date.
I promise our district did not arrive at this decision lightly and felt it was important to be open and honest about our policies heading into what will already be a challenging school year due to the time lost in the classroom. Therefore, we have decided to focus our time and energy on teaching and learning, rather than trying to enforce a policy that many people in our community do not agree with.
As many of you are aware, COVID-19 has impacted certain areas of the state worse than others. As of this writing, our county has had 18 positive cases, all of which have recovered. We feel this plan is in the best interest of our community and will allow the district to provide the type of learning environment our students expect and deserve.
In addition, I want to address action from Tuesday night’s board meeting. The Board of Education unanimously agreed to hire Thomas DeVore to represent the district in any potential legal matters related to this decision. Mr. DeVore is the most experienced attorney in the state on legal issues related to the pandemic, and we feel he can best represent the interests of our community.
I look forward to the start of the 2020-21 school year and having students return to school. Thank you for your support of our teachers, staff and students.
Sincerely,
Julie Kraemer
Superintendent”
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