BRADLEY — Bradley Elementary School District 61 administrators are holding off finalizing plans for what instruction will look like next school year until July in hopes that state guidance for schools will be clearer in the coming weeks.

Superintendent Scott Goselin discussed possible calendar options and methods of instruction for the 2020-2021 school year during a school board meeting Monday. He said he would present formal options during the next board meeting July 9.

“Our ultimate goal is to get the kids in person-to-person, teacher learning process in the classroom,” he said.

While in-person instruction is the goal, a regular school day might not be realistic until the state enters Phase 5 when there is a vaccine for COVID-19 and restrictions end, he said.

In Phase 4, when gatherings of 50 are allowed, a hybrid model combining in-person and remote learning would be possible. However, the administration believes this would be challenging for families.

In a hybrid model, students would come to school three days per week and do remote learning two days per week.

“You know and I know that’s a parent nightmare,” Goselin said. “To get childcare, to get people here, to get them here with buses and everything.”

The district would begin the school year in August if proceeding with fully remote learning. Alternatively, the school year could be pushed back until after Labor Day if it seems like restrictions will ease up by then.

A survey of more than 300 parents indicated 72 percent would prefer to wait until after Labor Day to start school, Goselin said.

The district also surveyed parents and staff about their experiences with remote learning and is zeroing in on ways to improve in the event it has to continue into next year, Goselin said.

Getting electronic devices in students’ hands and determining which families need help with internet access would be a priority with extending remote learning, he added.

Illinois State Board of Education guidance for next school year will be critical in deciding how to move forward, he said. Details on social distancing and mask requirements in classrooms will affect the district’s ability to provide in-person instruction.

“Even though it’s 50 kids [maximum], we’re not going to be able to fit 22 to 29 kids in a classroom with social distancing,” he said. “There’s no way we can do that.”

He also noted that, with an enrollment of about 1,450 students, the district would need to provide 87,000 face masks over a 60-day period.

Goselin said that trying to keep up with state guidelines up to this point has been like “hitting a moving target.”

“It’s like survival for these districts now trying to figure out what we’re going to do and how we’re going to do it,” he said. “How are we going to get kids in here and have a safe learning environment for our kids and our staff?”