LT's In-Person Learning Criticized by District 102 Official

LA GRANGE, IL — Lyons Township High School's administration has a publicly optimistic view of the falling number of students who are attending in person.

But at least one official in La Grange School District 102 is critical of the high school's situation.

The opinion about the high school was voiced during a discussion about in-person learning at a District 102 school board meeting last week. An official said all District 102 students have access to in-person learning. But he said the school had no good remote option if many students were quarantined.

"Are we going to have them Zoom into a live class? All the school districts that I know of aren't happy with that at all," the official said. "No one is going to LT right now because that's the model. Everyone says the teacher sits at their desk, and they talk to remote kids and (students) say, 'Why am I even here?' That's a negative outcome."

In the audio recording of the District 102 meeting, the official did not identify himself.

Although vast majorities of parents in the suburbs say they favor in-person learning, some high schools are reporting significant drops in the numbers going into the classroom.

In mid-October, 75 percent of Lyons Township High School students chose the in-person option under the hybrid model. By mid-February, that number had fallen to 53 percent.

In an email to Patch last week, school spokeswoman Jennifer Bialobok had an upbeat take on the situation.

"It could be that they're comfortable with online. Our teachers have done a superb job with remote instruction," she said. "I do think parents have appreciated the ability to float between in person and remote."

Hinsdale High School District 86 is also seeing fewer students in the classroom.