HARRISBURG — The Harrisburg School District is preparing for whatever is thrown at them when it comes to bringing kids back to school this fall.

The school board took no action on the district’s re-opening plan at their meeting Tuesday as they wait for more guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health and Illinois State Board of Education.

Harrisburg Superintendent Mike Gauch says from current guidance, the board has a preliminary plan to bring kids back to school five days a week on an 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. school day. But he says parents would have the option of e-learning for their children.

Gauch says if a parent chooses e-learning for their child, the child must do e-learning for at least 9 weeks. The parent could choose to send their kids back to school after each nine-week period, or the district could require kids to come back if officials deem that the pandemic is over.

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the board heard a presentation about refinancing bonds purchased by the district about a decade ago. Gauch says they can refinance interest on the bond payments down about 2% and the district is looking at maintenance projects they could take on with the additional money freed up.