Peoria Public Schools families,

I want to share with you today a few vital COVID-19 statistics that illustrate our continued need for social distancing.

• According to statistics from the Illinois Department of Health - to date, 41.2 percent of all Illinois residents who have died so far from COVID-19 are African Americans.
• African Americans make up just 14.6 percent of the population in Illinois.
• Another 38.7 percent of the dead are white and 7 percent are Latino.

We want to stop this disparity by asking all of our Peoria Public Schools students and families to be conscientious and continue practicing social distancing during this time. With nice and warm weather tomorrow, parks and trails should be used primarily for WALKING, BIKING, AND HIKING.

Sports like basketball, football, or soccer in open space should be avoided for now for the safety of everyone.

Our strongest weapon against COVID-19 is you. We have to be All In for Illinois. Please stay home and work from home if you can. Hold your family members accountable.

Thank you,

Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat

Help Us Help You Play SAFE and Play SMART!

1. Wash your hands BEFORE going outdoors!
   
   
2. Know what SIX FEET looks like… it’s the length of an adult bike, a yoga mat, or two yard sticks end to end… and honor that space!
   
   
3. Go by yourself or with those you live with.  AVOID CROWDED SPACES.
   
   
4. Parks and trails should be used primarily for WALKING, BIKING, AND HIKING. Sports like basketball, football, or soccer in open space should be avoided for now for the safety of our users.
   
   
5. Wash your hands AFTER going inside!

Our directive has been to keep groups under 10 people and socially distanced to keep us all as safe as possible. 

Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat

Superintendent

Peoria Public Schools families,

I am truly excited for us to begin Remote Learning on Monday. Our principals, teachers and staff have been hard at work preparing for this new journey, and we can't wait to continue your child's learning remotely.

I have gotten feedback from some of you around grading during this COVID-19 period.

I would like to share three quick items with you today.

Item One

The most important detail I want to emphasize is that a student's GPA or academic standing will NOT be negatively affected or lowered during Remote Learning.

Item Two

For grades 5 through 12 - Students' work will be graded. If their work improves the grade, they will receive the improved grade. If their work does not improve their grade, they will receive the grade they had at the end of the 3rd quarter (March 16th). To reiterate, your grade as of March 16th will not be negatively affected by any work during Remote Learning.

Students who end the 4th quarter with a failing grade will be given an incomplete, and then there will be an opportunity to improve their grade through summer learning options prior to the 2020-2021 school year.

Item Three

For grades Kindergarten through 4, students who engage in remote learning will receive an S to signify engagement during the remote learning time, or I (incomplete) for no engagement.

We are encouraging all students to engage with remote learning to finish this year strong.

I hope this brings clarity to our Remote Learning practice moving forward. Your school's principal, administrators, teachers and staff will be with you every step of the way to provide continued education and support during this time.

Thank you,

Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat
Superintendent