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W E D N E S D A Y
November 18, 2020 Vol. 40, No. 16 ONE DOLLAR @oakpark @wednesdayjournal
JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
OPRF survey: 66% prefer inperson learning District 200 to release draft hybrid learning plan on Nov. 19 By MICHAEL ROMAIN Staff Reporter
A recent survey offers perhaps the most comprehensive look yet into pandemic learning preferences of Oak Park and River Forest High School parents and guardians. Roughly 66 percent of the 1,809 parents and guardians who responded to the survey indicated they “would opt their students in for on-site classes” while 34 percent would opt their students out, according to a summary of the survey results outlined in D200 Supt. Joylyn PruittAdams’ Monday Memo, a weekly update on the district’s plans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pruitt-Adams said the results were broken down by grade and race/ethnicity, with the grade level results roughly mirroring the overall results. She said 66 to 69 percent of parents/guardians in each grade said they would opt their students in. The survey results varied markedly when broken out based on race/ethnicity, with 74 percent of parents of white parents, 57 percent of parents of Latinx parents, 57 percent of parents of biracial students, 52 percent of parents of Black students and 45 percent of parents of Asian students saying they would opt their students in for in-person learning. “As a reminder, the survey was not to get a commitment from families but rather to help in our planning as we work on the draft hybrid plan that will be presented to the Board on Nov. 19,” Pruitt-Adams explained. See D200 PLAN on page 9
Net gain
ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer
Elena Calafell, of River Forest, stretches for the ball at the Keystone Park tennis courts. Thanks to warm early November weather, players have been trying to stretch the outdoor season as long as possible.
OPEDC pledges racial equity New statement with goals for promoting equitable development By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter
This past summer racial disparities in the United States were thrust into the global spotlight, prompting organizations across the nation to reevaluate their operations. Coca-Cola made a pledge to invest in racial equity initiatives;
Quaker Oats is dropping the Aunt Jemima name and mascot from its pancake products and, locally, the Oak Park Economic Development Corporation (OPEDC) has committed to taking an active role in making Oak Park more racially equitable. “We were no different than most in that we started to look at ourselves and the way we do business and we wanted to try to put an equity lens on much of what we do,” said OPEDC Executive Director John Lynch. See EQUITY PLEDGE on page 13
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