‘The time to return is now’: Sycamore parents continue push for full time in-person learning

SYCAMORE – Colette Montani, one of nearly three dozen Sycamore parents who showed up to appeal to the school board Tuesday in a continued effort to push for a return to full time in-person learning, said her two children are “sad and lonely.”

Montani said that her daughter, a sophomore at Sycamore High School, who once loved school, “now hates everything about it.” Her sixth grade son loves to learn about math and science, but she watches “that light every day dwindle.” She said they miss school, their teachers and all that goes with it.

“When it’s a remote day, he dreads it,” Montani said about her son. “This is not my child. This is not who I raised, and who I watched go through all these years of school. He is sad. He is angry. I understand that the decision is on [the board], but we as parents have to advocate for what we see on a daily basis. … What we’re witnessing occur to our children is terrifying.”

Montani spoke in attendance during the Sycamore School District 427 Board of Education meeting held Tuesday at Sycamore High School. As many as 480 people were watching the video live online on Spartan TV’s YouTube channel.

The meeting featured more than 90 minutes of public comment. About 20 people addressed the school board, with many attendees allotting their three-minute time to others.

Sycamore mom Jennifer Crouch told the board that the school district’s administration “has failed our students if they cannot return to class ASAP.”

“We are demanding the administration, board, and union do their job,” she said. “The reason you earn your living is our children. My children are my reason and my everything. Since last March, e-learning and hybrid was the right choice, but the time to return is now. No more excuses. Schools all over the U.S. are five days in person, some have been all year.”

In addition to parents voicing their opinions, teachers also came to address what they said were recent social media attacks made against them and to explain their point of view.

Drewe Davey, a fifth grade teacher at North Grove Elementary School, said that after teaching for 12 years in the school district, he thinks the community is “divided.”

“For the first time in my career, I’ve actually thought about working in another community … for the first time, I’ve actually considered another profession,” he said. “I don’t know how we got to this point. I feel like a stranger in a strange land.”

“Our district has amazing teachers, they will make the best of what they are given, but it is unfair and unhealthy to ask the teachers to do more while giving them less time to do it,” Robert Horlock, high school science teacher said. “Administration … needs to ensure that teachers have the necessary time within the school day to do their jobs well.”

Return to learn

Based on health metrics, community variables and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Illinois Department of Public Health and DeKalb County Health Department, Superintendent Steve Wilder made multiple return to learn recommendations during Tuesday’s school board meeting.

Beginning March 15, school days will be extended Monday through Thursday. The elementary schools’ day will be from 8:40 a.m. to 1:40 p.m.; the middle school from 7:50 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; and the high school from 7:45 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. With the extended school days, lunch will be provided at the middle and high schools.

Fridays will remain remote learning days.

Wilder also stated that the school district is planning for a full return to in-person learning, with a remote option, for the 2021-2022 school year.

“That plan needs to be in place at some point so that when we’re ready for a full return, we’re ready to implement that,” Wilder said. “Having a plan ready, we need to move in that direction.”

The next Sycamore School District 427 Board of Education meeting will be held 7 p.m. March 9.