July 14, 2025 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

St. Joseph Grade School to keep hybrid schedule for now

While families with students at St. Joseph Grade School and Middle School may want their students back in school more often than the half day, every day schedule the district currently uses, but for that to happen several things would have to occur said Superintendent Todd Pence.

Pence said the safety of the district’s staff and students is their top priority and the administrative team meets regularly to discuss how to get students back in the building full time.

“There isn’t one public school district in Champaign, Vermillion, Ford, Piatt or Douglas County that is fully in-session,” Pence said. “Meaning that no one is back to a normal schedule.”


Pence said every district in the area is doing some sort of hybrid schedule.

Pence said the administration does not feel it makes sense to switch to a different type of hybrid schedule at this point in the school year.

“Our decision is heavily dependent upon the COVID guidelines from the State Board of Education and the Champaign Urbana Public Health Department that we must follow,” Pence said. “Until the guidance from the Health Department or the State Board changes we cannot return to school on our regular full-time schedule.”

Pence said there are several obstacles impeding their ability to come back to school full time including their classrooms not being large enough to accommodate more than 20 students and keep their desk six feet a part. If the district ignores the social distancing guidance every time someone test positive for COVID-19 everyone in the classroom will be required to quarantine for 10 days, including the teacher.

“If staff members have to quarantine, we only have a limited number of substitute teachers so this could force the school or district to temporarily close,” Pence said.

Pence said lunch time also poses challenges because only 50 students can be accommodated in one space under current guidelines. The students must be six feet apart and face the same direction. Pence said the cafeteria and the gym could be used but only two classrooms could eat lunch at a time.

“If both spaces were used it would take three hours to serve lunch and it would prevent us from utilizing the gym for PE classes,” Pence said. “Staff availability for supervision during this extended time and in additional spaces would be problematic.”

Pence said that the district would also have issues staffing the full-time remote only students. The state has required the schools to provide a remote only option to parents. One teacher at each grade level in kindergarten through fifth grade teachers the remote classes in the afternoon. If the district returns to full time, there is no one available to teach those classes. Pence said the district would also have to move students to a new teacher or classroom to balance out class sizes for a full-day schedule and that could be upsetting to some students. Pence said the required symptom screening and temperature check would also take approximately 30 minutes if they returned to full-time instruction.

 “A 30 minute drop-off line for parents does not seem practical nor would we have supervision if we began at 7:30 because the students cannot gather together,” he said.

Pence also said there are restrictions on what would and could happen in classrooms. Students cannot work in small groups or with partners and cannot participate in centers. Students would have to remain at their desks for most of the day and recess would be very limited. Also, the students would have to be masked.

Pence said he wants parents to know the district wants students in school full time as much as they do and are working every day to meet that goal.

“We are discussing and planning everyday hoping we will be able to return to a normal schedule,” Pence said. “As soon as we can safely return to a ‘normal schedule’ we will do so and we will communicate the plan.  Our hope is for that to happen sometime this spring, but as of today that just isn’t an option under the current guidelines.”

in Schools
Banner
Related Posts

SJO 2022-2023 2nd Quarter Honor Roll

January 13, 2023

January 13, 2023

FRESHMANBell, AdalynCarlson, WilliamClark, WadeCrozier, CadeCruz, AdreonaDaly, NathanDwyer, CalebEricksen, KatherineFranklin, WilliamFrick, LandonHaley, WilliamHayes, CoyHood, BryannaHouchens, BrysonMcComas, VancePreston, GraceRay, GrahamRetz, LanceSanders, EthanSexton,...

SJO 3rd Quarter Honor Roll

March 30, 2022

March 30, 2022

Freshmen Allinger, OliviaAltenbaumer, JaredBarton, RylieBirt, EliBowlin, ChazBrazelton, HoldenChristians, PresleeCoffey, HaydenDewese, LaurenFrerichs, LylaGaines, KaidenGriebat, JoeGuido, MasonHauersperger, BeauJohnson, KendrickJohnson, PaigeJohnson, SethJones, DylanKrall,...

St. Joseph Grade School to stay on hybrid schedule through end of school year

March 11, 2021

March 11, 2021

St. Joseph Grade School Superintendent Todd Pence said he is recommending the grade school and middle school keep their hybrid...

St. Joseph Middle School 8th grade honor roll

June 7, 2023

June 7, 2023

LAST NAME FIRST NAME Albrecht Samuel Barbee Zhou Canamore Willis Ditchfield Nickolas Ennis Jameson Gaines Leah Garrett Elijah Graham Skyler...

Kids Say….

March 8, 2019

March 8, 2019

Every week we will have five students from an area school answer a question for us. This week it’s five...

A familiar face to lead PVO

February 25, 2019

February 25, 2019

Jeffrey Isenhower will start a new job on July 1, 2020. He will take over the Prairieview-Ogden superintendent for Vic...

Live at SJO school board, August 22, 2022

August 22, 2022

August 22, 2022

I am here at school board! Greg Smith has volunteered to drive extracurricular. There’s a super long list of personnel...

PVO announces Junior High Honor Roll

April 16, 2019

April 16, 2019

Highest Honors– In highest GPA order 7th grade- Miranda Loosa, Caleb Ochs, Talan Miller, Colin Wayland, Brody Hausman, Hayden Williams,...

SJO 4th quarter high honor roll

June 2, 2022

June 2, 2022

Our Honor Rolls are sponsored by Appl Sanitary. FreshmenAllinger, OliviaBeckett, EJBenoit, AudreyBonny, SarahBrown, LandonClampitt, MadisonDavenport, AerolynDietiker, EllaDitchfield, LukeEnnis, JacksonFranzen, SavannaFunk,...

PVO Junior High 8th grade honor roll

November 8, 2023

November 8, 2023

8th Grade Highest HonorsTyler BonnyGaby ChimalIsabella FrerichsCasen GoffGeorge HaleKellyn IrwinRoyce LoschenLane McKinneyConnor McMahonAtleigh MillerLeah PruittAirin RashKeegan RobertsKorinne TravisEvelyn ValentineLucas Waters...

SJO announces academic letter winners

May 17, 2021

May 17, 2021

Academic Letter Winners for the 2019-2020 Academic Year Class of 2020 (Graduates)Lindsey Aden Jenna Albrecht Michara AllenMallory Ames Kendall Ayers...

SJO HONOR ROLL SECOND QUARTER

January 11, 2021

January 11, 2021

FreshmenAlewelt, EdwardAllen, ChloeAllinger, KadenBrown, KylerChahine, MayaDenhart, GarrettDressen, CameronGoldenstein, GraceGrant, BriannaGula, AmayaHayes, JayciLannert, LaurenLeVeck, JakeMcBride, SethMcMahon, ShannonSweet, ZoeyWaller, BraxtonWilson, SpencerWright, Mitchell...

Live at SJO School Board, Nov. 22

November 22, 2021

November 22, 2021

I am here along with the business department for the school board meeting. Consent agenda- approval. Going over bills. SJO...

St. Joseph Middle School 8th Grade Honor Roll

November 2, 2021

November 2, 2021

Barrowman, Kylie Barrowman, Lexie Blackburn-Kelley, Timera Blackburn-Kelley, Timothy Carlson, Jacob Chaudhary, Rudra Clark, Joshua Ericksen, Katherine Getty, Camden Haley, William...

PVO Junior High Second quarter honor roll

January 13, 2023

January 13, 2023

7th Grade Highest Honors (3.7-4.0)Tyler BonnyIsabella FrerichsCasen GoffGaby GomezGeorge HaleRoyce LoschenLane McKinneyAtleigh MillerAirin RashKeegan RobertsKorinne TravisEvelyn ValentineLucas WatersAdyn Westerfield 7th...

Comments
Leave a Reply