A central Illinois school district is beefing up its e-learning plan this week.

The Maroa-Forsyth Board of Education meets this week, and at the top of the agenda is revisions to its e-learning plan. Superintendent Adam Ibbotson tells the Hart Media Group this is a part of a three-year renewal mandate by the Illinois State Board of Education.

According to Ibbotson, the e-learning plan is getting beefed up in a big way. He explains they worked with the administration to have a more engaged approach, almost across the board. The thought process was there needs to be face-to-face learning taking place, and with the old plan, there was not a lot of that happening.

The plan relies heavily on a student's ability to have internet access. Ibbotson knows technology can sometimes fail and not everyone has access, so there are procedures in place for those circumstances.

Ibboton contends that having e-learning during the school year is better than extending the calendar at the end of the year because learning at the back end of the school calendar is much more challenging.

Ibbotson points out, he modeled the Maroa-Forsyth plan after several neighboring districts that have revamped their plans in recent years.