Litchfield Adopts Three-Year E-Learning Program to Replace Emergency Days

Litchfield Community School District #12 Board of Education | September 17, 2026

Article Summary: The Litchfield Board of Education on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, adopted a resolution establishing a district-wide e-learning program to be used in place of the district’s scheduled emergency days, to run for three school years before renewal.

E-Learning Program Key Points:

• The resolution will be implemented for a period of three years — 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29 — before renewal.
• The program must ensure and verify the required clock hours of instruction for each participating student and monitor each student’s electronic participation.
• The district must provide non-electronic materials to students who lack access to the required technology, and must communicate program expectations to teachers, staff, students and parents at least 30 days before use.
• The program will be verified by the Regional Office of Education to ensure access for all students. The resolution was adopted 5-0, with no public comment at the preceding hearing.

LITCHFIELD — The Litchfield Board of Education on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, adopted a resolution establishing an e-learning program that will allow students to receive instruction electronically in lieu of the district’s scheduled emergency days.

The action followed the third of three public hearings held ahead of the board’s regular monthly meeting. That hearing, on the terms of what the agenda described as a “proposed research based e-learning program,” was called to order at 6:20 p.m. and adjourned at 6:21 p.m. after no member of the public came forward to speak. Ron Anglin moved to adjourn and Mark Bloome seconded; the voice vote was 5-0, with David Belusko and Mandy Jewell absent.

During the regular meeting, Anglin moved and Bloome seconded a motion to approve the resolution. It carried 5-0 on a roll call vote, with Julie Abel, Anglin, Bloome, Valerie Cain and Jimmy Gorowski voting yes.

What the Resolution Requires

The resolution, included in the board’s agenda packet and dated as adopted Sept. 17, 2026, commits the district to an e-learning program with a specific list of features.

The program “may utilize the Internet, telephones, texts, chat rooms, or other similar means of electronic communication for instruction and interaction between teachers and students that meet the needs of all learners,” according to the resolution. It must ensure and verify the required clock hours of instruction or school work for each student participating in an e-learning day, and ensure the monitoring and verification of each student’s electronic participation.

On access, the resolution requires the district to ensure access from home or another appropriate remote facility for all participating students, “including availability of non-electronic materials to students who do not have access to the required technology or to the participating teachers or students who are prevented from accessing the required technology.” It also requires appropriate learning opportunities for students with special needs.

Other provisions address the extent to which student participation is within the student’s control as to time, pace and means of learning; effective notice to students and parents or guardians of the particular days designated for e-learning; adequate training for staff and students; and an opportunity for any collective bargaining negotiations that would be legally required.

The resolution further requires that the program be reviewed as implemented “to address difficulties confronted through revision or otherwise,” that the protocol regarding general expectations and responsibilities be communicated to teachers, staff, students and parents at least 30 days before use, and that all teachers and staff involved have access to any hardware and software the program may require.

Finally, the program “will be verified by the Regional Office of Education for the school district to ensure access for all students,” and “will be implemented for a period of 3 years (2026-27, 2027-28, 2028-29) prior to renewal.”

Context

E-learning programs of this kind allow an Illinois district to count a day of remote instruction as a day of attendance rather than using one of the emergency days built into its calendar for weather and other closures. The Litchfield resolution replaces the district’s scheduled emergency days district-wide.

The source materials for the September meeting do not include a copy of the program itself, a cost estimate, or any description of what the board discussed at the hearing beyond the absence of public input.