Breaking news: District offers free summer school

Raven Easterly, In-depth Editor

District 202 has begun offering free summer school to all students as part of a COVID-19 relief for parents and students.

All Illinois school districts are receiving Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSERS) grant monies based on student enrollment. The district expects to get about $21.7 million over the next two years through the ESSERS grant. The money can only be used on COVID-related expenses.  At least 20 percent, or about $4.4 million, must be used on academic programming. All funds must be used by 2023.

The first session of the summer courses will be held from June 7 to June 29. Classes will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, with no classes being held on Friday. Eligible students are being provided with transportation to and from the schools.

All Summer school programming will be free for all families except for the high school dual credit program, which is offered by the Joliet Junior College.

Courses will be available for remote learning but will change the number of courses available. Students who choose remote learning will use Edgenuity, an online learning platform. Edgenuity courses result in a Pass/Fail grade, and no letter grade will be issued.

Students who choose to attend summer school in person will be attending either Plainfield Central High School or Plainfield East High School. Courses will result in a letter grade that will be factored into their GPA. Dependent on student enrollment and teacher availability, specific courses may only be offered online and will be determined once registration is complete.

If there is a low number of participants in a course, families who registered will be contacted after May 10, 2021, to determine if students are interested in taking a course online. Other courses with low enrollment will not run and you will be offered a refund or the ability to choose another course pending the available space.

Students who register for summer school must attend daily. If there are more than two absences, the students will be dropped without a refund. Vacation days and sick days will count as absence days. Any tardy less than one hour will be counted as a half-day of absence.

Residents and non-residents of District 202 may enroll in the summer program but are not included in the COVID-19 relief. Non-District 202 residents will have to pay $290.00 per session. Courses offered are recognized for credit, except where noted, and may be used to fulfill graduation requirements. Credits from these courses may be transferred to other high schools.

The Summer School Registration Form, Summer School Expectation Form, Health Information Form, and
Internet Agreement Form needs to be completed and submitted with full tuition payment to the Curriculum &
Instruction Office at your home high school. The registration deadline for summer school is May 10, 2021.

For more information on specific courses and to register for summer school, please visit the school’s summer school page.