School District U-46 plans to return to daily in-person instruction next school year for all U-46 students upon the first day of school, Monday, August 16, 2021. The District will of course, continue to follow the health guidelines recommended by the Illinois Department of Public Health and our local health departments to ensure the safety of our staff and students.

As of May 25, 2021, U-46 is now opening  a process for students to request admittance to our Distance Learning Academy for the entirety of the 2021-22 school year.  This learning model will be a limited opportunity for Pre-K-12th grade students who complete our Distance Learning Academy Request Form by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, June 2, 2021.

To be considered, a student must be unvaccinated with a medical condition (s) that significantly increases risk or harm of serious complications related to COVID-19 as supported by a signed document from a licensed physician, advanced practice nurse, or physician assistant. Such documentation may already be on file within our system or a new and/or updated document may be needed. In addition to the signed medical statement, a parent or legal guardian must provide a statement detailing the medical condition(s) that place the unvaccinated student at higher risk for serious complications related to COVID-19. 

Interested families can apply at https://district.u-46.org/distancelearning.

Families should expect to hear back on admittance to the academy by Friday, June 25. Importantly, an approved request would be effective for the entirety of the 2021-22 school year. 

Our approach to remote learning is in alignment with state policy. Students approved for the Distance Learning Academy, by law, must have a written remote educational plan which must include:

• Specific achievement goals for the student aligned to Illinois learning standards.
• A description of all assessments that will be used to measure a student's progress. Assessments also must be administered at a U-46 school.
• A description of how progress reports will be provided to both the school district and the parent/guardian.
• The expectations, processes, and schedules for interaction between the student and their teacher.
• A description of the specific responsibilities of a student's family and the school district with respect to equipment, materials, phone and internet service, and any other necessities for remote learning.

Families should be aware that certain courses will not be available online next school year.  Please click here for a listing of courses/programs that may not be offered to Distance Learning Academy students. At the high school level, there may also be instances when remote students will need to be placed in an alternate elective class due to staffing and scheduling limitations. High school students will need to speak with a school counselor to ensure an appropriate schedule to support on-time graduation. Parents of students accepted to the Distance Learning Academy will be agreeing to an individual learning plan for their child for the 2021-22 school year before the start of the school year.  

U-46 will continue to monitor state and local requirements related to in-person and remote learning options for the 2021-22 school year. Any required updates to our instructional plan will be promptly communicated. Please contact your school if you have any questions regarding the upcoming school year or reach out to U-46 via Let’s Talk using the 2021-22 School Year tab.