Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Board President Kara Caforio read a prepared statement at the beginning of the board’s meeting on April 14, which happened to be three days before the governor announced all K-12 schools in Illinois would be closed to on-site instruction for the remainder of the current school year.
“This is an interesting time, and there’s been a lot going on in the last month,” said Caforio in brief remarks before reading the statement. “I think we all, as a board, and also an administration, want to take a moment and say, ‘Thank you,’ to the community.”
Following is the statement Caforio read at the start of the April 14 meeting:
“The District 205 community has always been known for quality schools—and in the middle of this crisis, our community has stepped up and shown that District 205 is not just about quality schools—it’s an amazing community of people who look out for each other.
“Our schools are the heart of our community, and having them closed is difficult for all of us, but especially our students.
“As we, the Board of Education, continue to serve our students and wisely steward our resources, we have been honored to witness the outpouring of support and generosity for our 8,500 students during this crisis and would like to pause and say, thank you.
“We are grateful for the ongoing partnership with the mayor and city council and the park district as we serve our community, coming together to find solutions to the challenges at hand.
“Thank you to the District 205 Foundation, who as schools closed, began working to support the growing needs of our students. They provided tech resources for distance learning to students in need, created mechanisms to support local businesses who for years have generously supported our schools and used their expertise to coordinate donations of over $60,000 to support the local organizations helping our students and families.
“Thank you to the Yorkfield Food Pantry, the United Community Concerns Association, the Elmhurst Walk-In Assistance Network and the Addison Township Food Pantry who have worked tirelessly to meet the ongoing needs of students and families.
“To these and other organizations and individuals who have reached out and are generously providing support to our students, thank you.
“To our District 205 staff, teachers and administration, thank you. Words cannot express how grateful we are for the incredible amount of dedication and care that has been demonstrated by each of you in the last few weeks as we work together to serve our students during this time.
“Thank you for cleaning our facilities and maintaining our buildings, organizing and assembling breakfasts and lunches for student pick up, continuing operations remotely, delivering and supporting technology for approximately 10,000 users, communicating often, planning for multiple scenarios and then adjusting the plan as things change, creating and adapting online lessons to keep all our students learning, supporting parents and students in countless ways and answering question after question. Most importantly, thank you for taking the time to work together and look out for both our students and each other.
“To our students and families, thank you. Thank you for taking the time to continue learning. We know it is challenging and involves sacrifice on top of the significant personal stresses we are all experiencing. We appreciate your commitment to learning.
“And finally, a note to our seniors. We know this isn’t the senior year you had envisioned. The weeks in March and April are historically filled with many memorable moments and time with friends as you prepare to leave York High School. We are aware you and your families want to know how the school year will end. We do not have an answer tonight, but we will continue to move forward one step at a time, and want you to rest assured that whatever comes our way, we will honor and celebrate the York Class of 2020.
“Thank you. We are so grateful to serve and be a part of this amazing community.”
